First evaluation of genetic diversity and population structure of Phelsuma inexpectata (Gekkonidae), a critically endangered gecko endemic to Reunion Island.

ABSTRACT: The Manapany day gecko, Phelsuma inexpectata, is a critically endangered reptile endemic to Reunion Island (Southwestern Indian Ocean region). In the present study, we provide the first in-depth insights into the genetic diversity and population structure of the species across its main geographic range, limited to a narrow 14-km littoral fringe in the south of the island. We used two mitochondrial genes and twenty microsatellite loci to genotype 452 geckos sampled in anthropized and natural sites. Compared to other insular species of the Phelsuma genus, P. inexpectata displays a low genetic diversity with nine mitochondrial haplotypes detected, and based on the nuclear markers, a mean number of alleles (Na) of 2.8 ± 0.3, and an observed (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) reaching a maxi

SUBMITTER: Gomard Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12700416 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature