The demise of a wonder: evolutionary history and conservation assessments of the Wonder Gecko Teratoscincus keyserlingii (Gekkota, Sphaerodactylidae) in Arabia

<p>Effective biodiversity conservation planning starts with the genetic characterization within and among focal populations, in order to understand the likely impact of threats for ensuring the long-term viability of the species. The Wonder Gecko, <i>Teratoscincus keyserlingii</i>, is one of nine members of the genus. The species is distributed in Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, with a small isolated population in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where it is classified nationally as Critically Endangered. Within its Arabian range, anthropogenic activity is directly linked to the species' decline, highly localized and severely fragmented populations. Here we describe the evolutionary history of <i>Teratoscincus</i>, by reconstructing its phylogenetic relationships and estimating its divergence times and ancestral biogeography. For conservation implications of <i>T. keyserlingii</i> we evaluate the genetic structure of the Arabian population using genomic data. The present<a name="_Hlk41458229">study supports the monophyly of most species and reveals considerable intraspecific variability in <i>T. microlepis</i> and <i>T. keyserlingii</i>, which necessitate broad systematic revisions. </a>The UAE population of <i>T. keyserlingii</i> likely arrived from southern Iran during the Pleistocene and no internal structure was recovered within, implying a single population status. Regional conservation of <i>T. keyserlingii</i> requires improved land management and natural habitat restoration in the species' present distribution, and the expansion of current protected areas, or the establishment of new areas with suitable habitats for the species, mostly in northern Abu Dhabi Emirate.</p>