Two new cave-dwelling species of Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Southwestern Vietnam

Abstract

Two new cave-dwelling species of Cyrtodactylus from mainland southwestern Vietnam and an offshore island are differentiated from all other congeners in lacking a precloacal groove and precloacal pores, presence of enlarged femoral scales beneath thigh, and in having a color pattern consisting of four or five narrow white bands on the body dorsum and one on the tail. Cyrtodactylus grismeri sp. nov. is reddish brown, has a mean SVL of 87.6 ± 3.8 mm (n = 9), 18–22 irregular longitudinal rows of weakly-keeled tubercles at midbody between the lateral folds, 33–38 ventral scales between ventrolateral folds, 0–3 enlarged scales beneath thighs, and 20–24 subdigital lamellae under the first toe. Cyrtodactylus eisenmani sp. nov. is chocolate brown, has a mean SVL of 81.3 ± 5.0 mm (n = 5), 14 irregular longitudinal rows of weakly keeled tubercles at midbody between ventrolateral folds, 44–45 ventral scales between ventrolateral folds at midbody, 4–6 enlarged femoral scales beneath each thigh, and 22–25 subdigital lamellae under the first toe. This discovery increases the total number of Cyrtodactylus found in Vietnam to fifteen.