Species:

Nucras broadleyi  BRANCH et al. 2019

Common names:

Angolan Sandveld Lizard (English)

Types:

Holotype, adult male: PEM R24005, AG 018.

Paratype, adult female: PEM R24157, AG 166

Terra Typica:

10 km west of Lola, edge of Bentiaba River valley, Namibe Province, Angola (-14.29028, 13.53056, WGS 84, 802 m asl).

Relevant taxonomic literature:

• Branch, W.R. & Conradie, W. & Vaz Pinto, P. & Tolley, K.A. (2019) -  Another Angolan Namib endemic species: a new Nucras Gray, 1838 (Squamata: Lacertidae) from south-western Angola. -  Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, 13 (2): 82-95.    

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  A new endemic Sandveld Lizard, genus Nucras, is described from south-western Angola. Morphologically it resembles members of the Nucras tessellata group, but it is genetically separated and is sister to the larger tessellata + lalandii group. Although the genus is generally very conservative morphologically, the new species differs from other congeners in a combination of scalation, overall dorsal color pattern, and geographic separation. The new species is known from fewer than 12 specimens collected over a period spanning 120 years from arid south-western Angola. This brings the total number of species in the genus to 12 and adds another species to the growing list of endemic species of the Namib region of Angola. This new finding further reinforces the idea that this Kaokoveld Desert region is a key biodiversity area worthy of conservation and long-term protection.