Fifty years of herpetological research in the Namib Desert and Namibia with an updated and annotated species checklist

► Herpetology in Namibia constitutes alpha taxonomy with few beta taxonomy efforts. ► Eco-physiology studies are geographically concentrated around research centers. ► Herpetological publications increased in and around the 1990s and dropped recently. ► Mining, water resource use, and climate change warrant conservation research. ► Strategic surveying, monitoring, and conservation genetics methods are highlighted.