‘Lost’ gecko species rediscovered after more than 33 years

Two Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) researchers have rediscovered a gecko species that had not been seen for over 33 years. This brings to four the number of ‘lost species” that the EWT has rediscovered as a result of its increased focus on locating, and conserving elusive, less charismatic, but critically important, wildlife that is often overlooked and at risk of slipping into extinction unless urgent action is taken. 

Flat geckos (Afroedura) are known for their micro-endemism. This means that they occur only at in one single, or a few, localities. Perhaps the best example of this is the Blyde River Flat Gecko (Afroedura rondavelica), which is known from only a single nearly inaccessible inselberg in the Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. This species was first discovered by Dr Niels Jacobsen in December 1991, when he collected two males. The species was only formally described in 2014, and the two specimens collected by Jacobsen remained the only known representatives of this species for more than 33 years. 

Over the years some debate has emerged regarding  the taxonomic status of these specimens, with some experts surmising that they are merely juveniles of another species that occurs nearby. Because the species had not been recorded for more than 10 years, it was classified as a ‘lost’ species by re:Wild. The general lack of information regarding the species, taxonomic uncertainty surrounding it, and the possibility that it may have gone extinct, resulted in this species being listed as Data Deficient in the latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment.

‘Rediscovering’  the Blyde River Flat Gecko

In April 2025, two EWT researchers, Dr Darren Pietersen and John Davies, visited the area to determine whether the gecko still inhabited the same inselberg.   

Following a process of about two years to secure the required permits to visit the difficult-to-reach site in the Blyde River Canyon, the researchers were able to access it by helicopter.
  
They confirmed not only that the species had survived, but also the morphological, and therefore taxonomic, distinctness of the species. The ecological and population data that they collected will allow this species’ conservation status to be re-evaluated, moving it out of the Data Deficient category. Tissue samples were collected to facilitate an in-depth genetic investigation as to the taxonomic placement of this species within the genus, and to confirm its status as a distinct species.  Further data will then be collected so that the species’  threat status can be evaluated, the threats its faces determined, and the conservation actions required planned and implemented. 

What makes this rediscovery particularly significant is the fact that this gecko has not been seen since it was first discovered in 1991, and until recently Niels Jacobsen was the only person to ever see this species alive.

The rediscovery of the gecko is an example of a much bigger approach that the EWT is now taking – implementing strategic biodiversity surveys or BioBlitz’s to identify the biodiversity richness in remote and poorly understood wilderness areas across Africa.

 We are grateful to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) for granting the necessary permits to access the site, and to pilot Jana Meyer of Hope for Wildlife for expertly conducting the helicopter flights. We also thank the Anglo American Foundation and Global Affairs Canada for their generous financial support, which made this expedition possible.

Original story here.