Introduction Lizards are key organisms for studies in numerous fields in biology, such as evolution, behaviour, population, community ecology, and life-history theory (Mesquita et al., 2016), and have even contributed to medicine advances (Mahdavi et al., 2008). This successful group of reptiles inhabits virtually all places on Earth, except the highest and coldest ones (Pianka and Vitt, 2003). Over 6,000 lizard species have already been described, a number that represents more than half of all living reptiles known to date (Uetz and Hošek, 2016). In Brazil, more than 270 species are known to occur (Costa and Bérnils, 2018). However, there are still many taxonomic problems to be solved and knowledge gaps to be fulfilled, mainly in North and Northeast regions of the country. The state of Paraíba is situated on the easternmost portion of the South American continent and much of its biodiversity is still unknown. Rodrigues (1986; 2000; 2003) demonstrated that samplings are still deficient in the region. The state comprises vegetation physiognomies that vary from coastal rainforests (Atlantic Forest domain) to semiarid and arid regions in the seasonally dry forests (Caatinga domain), including Caatinga enclaves’ moist forests, known as “brejos de altitude”, which are islands of moist forest surrounded by dry forests. Most of the original Atlantic Forest domain coverage has been lost due to anthropic occupation, and the Caatinga still suffers with the transformation of its natural landscapes into crops and pastures (Leal et al., 2005; Tabarelli et al., 2005). Another worrying issue in this state is the extent of its protected areas. Less than 10% of its territory is legally protected, being only approximately 1.2% of the original Caatinga formation under some degree of legal protection (MMA, 2011). In the Atlantic Forest, this number is higher (6%) (MMA, 2011), but it is still under the goal of 17% of legally protected areas until 2020, defined in the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, a short term international plan to save biodiversity (Prates and Irving, 2015). Herpetology Notes, volume 12: 749-763 (2019) (published online on 09 July 2019) Lizard fauna from the state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil: current knowledge and sampling discontinuities Lissa Dellefrate Franzini 1,* , Izabel Regina Soares da Silva 1 , Daniel Oliveira Santana 1 , Fagner Ribeiro Delfim, Gustavo Henrique Calazans Vieira 1 , and Daniel Oliveira Mesquita 1 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Zoologia), Departamento Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brazil. * Corresponding author: lissa.dfranzini@gmail.com Abstract. We compiled a list of lizard species from the state of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil to systematize and widen the knowledge about the lizard fauna in that state, which is still poorly known in most of its municipalities and has never been systematized in a species list. We considered data from the literature and the major scientific collections that house specimens from the state of Paraíba and we gathered a total of 2,767 records for 48 municipalities, corresponding to 36 lizard species of 27 genera and 12 families. The capital, municipality of João Pessoa, presented the highest number of species records. This number of records is a result of a high sampling effort, which is probably a consequence of the higher number of reptile specialists working in this municipality, which have for long contributed to the scientific knowledge on the region. Most of the records come from municipalities with protected areas near research centres, which are usually more accessible. In the remaining municipalities, sampling is still deficient, mainly in regions of the Caatinga domain. We calculated the evolutionary distinctiveness (ED) of the lizard species compiled in the study and verified that Diploglossus lessonae, Coleodactylus meridionalis, Lygodactylus kuglei, Iguana iguana, and Salvator merianae represent important evolutionary histories in the biodiversity of the state. Keywords. Squamata, Caatinga, Atlantic Forest, species list