Goniurosaurus murphyi Orlov and Darevsky: A Junior Synonym of Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi Mocquard

Abstract

As it is currently constituted, the East Asian eublepharid genus Goniurosaurus contains 10 species (Grismer et al., 1999; Orlov and Darevsky, 1999). One of the more recently described species, G. murphyi Orlov and Darevsky 1999, appears to be a junior synonym of G. lichtenfelderi Mocquard 1897 because there are no diagnostic characters separating the two putative taxa. I believe that Orlov and Darevsky (1999) were misled by (1) confusing the Goniurosaurus illustrated by Zhao and Adler (1993, plate 22) with G. lichtenfelderi, unaware that Grismer et al. (1999) had indicated that it was G. luii; (2) not examining first-hand, specimens of G. lichtenfelderi from Kuinong Chao (Iles de Norway), Vietnam or G. hainanensis from Hainan Island, China; and (3) overlooking key literature on G. lichtenfelderi and G. hainanensis. The intent of this note is to review