Checklist of the lizards of Togo (West Africa), with comments on systematics, distribution, ecology, and conservation

ABSTRACT The lizard fauna of Togo, a country situated within a natural gap in the rainforest zone of West Africa, is reviewed and updated. In this article, we summarize all available data on the distribution, ecology, and conservation status of the 43 lizard species of Togo. Species richness is uneven between vegetation zones. The submontane forest (ecological zone IV), despite being the smallest, houses the greatest number of species (n = 27), followed by dry forest (ecological zone II, n = 21). Currently none of the Togolese lizard species appears to be immediately threatened. However, several species are subjected to exploitation for the international pet trade and in-country use (bush-meat, fetish market), and could become threatened in the next decades. The intensity of this trade should be carefully monitored in the years to come.