Precloacal Pores Research Articles

A New Species of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus Group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Surat Thani Province, Thailand Underscores This Group's Remarkable Diversity on the Thai-Malay Peninsula.

An integrative taxonomic study recognized a new species of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus group from Kanchanadit District, Surat Thani Province, Southern Thailand. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial ND2 gene revealed a new species, Cyrtodactylus kanchanaditsp. nov., that is closely related to C. lekaguli. The new species differs from its sister lineage by bearing mean genetic divergence of 4.53% and significant differences in both mensural and morphometric characters (p < 0.05). Cyrtodactylus kanchanaditsp. nov. can be differentiated from the remaining members of the C. pulchellus species group because of its genetic divergence of ≥7.99% and a combination of differences in body size: 11-15 supralabial and 10-12 infralabial scales, 29-35 paravertebral tubercles, 18-23 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles, 32-37 rows of ventral scales, 20-23 subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe, 32-37 femoroprecloacal pores in adult males, and four or five dark body bands; weak tuberculation on body; absence of tubercles in the ventral body fold, absence of precloacal pores in females, and absence of scattered pattern of white tubercles on dorsum; presence of precloacal groove depression; and maculated white caudal bands. Cyrtodactylus kanchanaditsp. nov. is currently known from its type locality.

Integrative Taxonomy Revealed High Diversity of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and the Description of Three New Species from Yunnan Province, China.

The karst landform in Yunnan Province, China, represents one of the most biodiverse regions for Hemiphyllodactylus. Previous research has revealed that the karst forests in this province host a greater diversity of Hemiphyllodactylus than previously acknowledged. However, substantial fundamental data essential for taxonomic and biogeographical studies are lacking. We conducted extensive surveys for Hemiphyllodactylus in the Yunnan Province that led to the discovery of three new species from Menglian Dai, Lahu, and Wa Autonomous County and Jinghong City based on morphological and genetic data. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on the ND2 gene (1038 bp) placed the three new species into clade 3 and clade 4 of Agung et al. The uncorrected genetic pairwise distance of the Menglian specimens were greater than 5.7%, and those of the Jinghong City specimens were greater than 5.2% and 8.5%, respectively. They could be distinguished from their congeners by body size, chin scales, internasal scales, ventral scales, dorsal scales, and the total number of femoral and precloacal pores. Furthermore, we update the distributional knowledge of the known species.

A new four-pored Amphisbaena Linnaeus, 1758 (Amphisbaenia, Amphisbaenidae) from the north of Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil.

A new species of Amphisbaena is described from the north of Espinhaço Mountain Range, municipality of Caetité, state of Bahia, Brazil. Amphisbaenaamethysta sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) snout convex in profile, slightly compressed not keeled; (2) pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli; (3) four precloacal pores; (4) distinct cephalic shields; (5) 185-199 dorsal half-annuli; (6) 13-16 caudal annuli; (7) conspicuous autotomic site between 4th-6th caudal annuli; (8) 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments at midbody; (9) 3/3 supralabials; (10) 3/3 infralabials; and (11) smooth and rounded tail tip. The new species is the 71st species of genus with four precloacal pores, and the 22nd species from the Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. The identification of Amphisbaenaamethysta sp. nov. indicates that the reptile fossorial fauna in the Espinhaço Mountain Range region is far from being completely known and that it may harbour a much greater diversity of endemic taxa.

A new species of narrow-banded Cyrtodactylus (Gekkonidae) from northern New Guinea.

We describe a new species of Cyrtodactylus from the northern lowlands and foothills of mainland New Guinea. Cyrtodactylus mamberamo sp. nov. is distinguished from all other Melanesian Cyrtodactylus except C. aaroni and C. mimikanus by the combination of moderate size (max SVL <100 mm), widened subcaudals, dorsal pattern of numerous narrow light bands with dark-brown anterior borders, and a tripartite pore arrangement in males. It differs from these two most-similar species in details of colour pattern, scalation and the number of precloacal pores. Cyrtodactylus mamberamo sp. nov. occurs at elevations between 0-870 m above sea level (a.s.l.) across a wide area spanning the Mamberamo Basin and nearby regions. It co-occurs with at most one or two other congeners. Low Cyrtodactylus alpha diversity across Melanesia emphasises beta turnover as the key factor underpinning species richness in this genus. The new species brings the total number of recognised Melanesian Cyrtodactylus to 35, with the real total certain to be over 40 species.

Evolutionary novelty in chemical signalling is linked with chemosensory behaviour in close Liolaemus lizard species (Iguania: Liolaemidae)

AbstractEvolutionary changes, associated with the gain or loss of traits, can occur in signal‐emitting and signal‐detecting organs. Related functionality generally accompanies these changes; however, in some cases there are mismatches and evolutionary innovations do not show an indication of functional advantages. Due to this, the relationship between evolutionary changes and the functionality of sensory organs remains unclear. Lizard species belonging to Liolaemus lineomaculatus section present fast evolutionary state transitions associated with the gain or loss of precloacal pores (chemical signalling glands). In this group, precloacal pores configuration includes species where only males have pores (Liolaemus attenboroughi‐ancestral state), where both sexes lack of them (L. kolengh male‐loss), and species where both sexes have pores (L. zullyae, representing a female‐gain). Here, we test the relationships between evolutionary changes of signal‐emitting glands with different chemical and visual behaviours. We conducted behavioural trials in three species belonging to the Liolaemus lineomaculatus section: L. attenboroughi, L. kolengh, and L. zullyae. We measured individuals' chemical and visual responses to different social scents and to conspecific visual stimuli. Results showed the presence of different social scents recognition ability in both male‐only and female‐gain species, whereas male‐loss species showed no behavioural differences among the chemical trials. Lizards exhibited few responses in the visual trials, although the species with pores used chemo‐sensorial sense in the visual trials, while male‐loss species showed differences in visual displays in the presence of conspecific visual stimuli. These results suggest a link between evolutionary novelties of chemical secretory glands and chemical recognition.

Description of a new sandstone-dwelling species of genus Cnemaspis (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Gunung Santubong National Park, southwestern Sarawak, Malaysia.

A newly discovered sandstone-dwelling species of the rock gecko, genus Cnemaspis, is described from Santubong National Park, 25 km north of Kuching, southwestern Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Molecular phylogenetic analysis confirmed that Cnemaspis puterisantubongae sp. nov. is closely related to other Cnemaspis species in southwestern Sarawak, except for C. kendallii, although these relationships remain unclear. The new species differs from closely related species in having a moderate snout-vent length of up to 66.7 mm; 10-14 precloacal pores in males; 9-14 obviously-convex precloacal pore-bearing scales in females; enlarged, smooth, flat median subcaudal scales; sharp-edged, broad black markings on the trunk dorsum; and a black-gray banding pattern on the posterior part of the original tail, with white median subcaudal scales in males. This discovery of this new species from Santubong National Park, which is highly accessible due to its proximity to Kuching, highlights the need for extensive inventory surveys throughout the national parks of Sarawak.

Another new micro-endemic, limestone-dwelling leaf-toed gecko (Gekkonidae: Dixonius) from Phetchaburi Province, western Thailand.

We describe Dixoniuschotjuckdikuli sp. nov. from Khao Ebid (Mount Ibit), Khao Yoi District, Phetchaburi Province, western Thailand. The new, limestone-dwelling species differs from all currently recognized species of Dixonius by the following combination of morphological characters and pattern: maximal known snout-vent length of 45.6 mm, 18 (rarely 16) longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles; 31 to 34 paravertebral scales; 18 (rarely 16) longitudinal rows of ventral scales across the abdomen; 20 to 22 interciliary scales; 5 or 6 precloacal pores in males, no pores in females; a marked canthal stripe extending beyond the shoulder; and a blotched dorsal pattern in males, females and juveniles. This description brings the number of Dixonius species to 17, among which seven species are endemic to Thailand.

Another New Species of the Cyrtodactylus annulatus Complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Maratua an Adjacent Island to Borneo, Indonesia

The region of Borneo is very interesting in its diversity of gekkonid lizards of the genus Cyrtodactylus. Until now, it is known to harbor 14 described species. Herein, we described a new member of this genus from the adjacent island of Maratua. Cyrtodactylus tehetehe sp. nov. is named after the specialty of the traditional cuisine of the Derawan Islands (sticky rice with coconut milk and a little salt wrapped in sea urchin skin, Echinoidea spp.). The new species forms a tight phylogenetic clade with Philippine taxa allied to C. annulatus and is sister to the Palawan species C. tautbatorum, a biogeographic surprise, given that C. jambangan and C. annulatus occur closer geographically, in the Sulu Archipelago. The new species can be distinguished from all other congeners by a combination of characters including maximum SVL, number of supralabials, infralabials, longitudinal dorsal tubercle rows, paravertebral tubercles, ventral scale rows, subdigital lamellae on fourth toe, by having tubercles on ventrolateral body folds, a single precloacal pore and enlarged precloacal scales, lacking tubercles on upper arm, enlarged femoral scales and respective pores, precloacal depression, and transversely enlarged median subcaudals.

Description of a new karst-adapted species of the subgenus Japonigekko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Gekko) from Guangxi, southern China

Abstract A new species of the genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768, Gekko paucituberculatussp. nov., is described here, based on two specimens from Tianyang District, Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It was placed in subgenus Japonigekko on the basis of morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis and can be distinguished from all congeners in this subgenus by significant divergences in the mitochondrial 16S and ND2 genes and by a combination of the following morphological characters: Moderate body size, SVL 77.2 mm in the adult male and SVL 85.9 mm in the adult female; tubercles only present along dorsolateral trunk and absent on other regions; fingers and toes with weak webbing; continuous precloacal pores 12 in the male, absent in the female; a single postcloacal tubercle on each side; a light-coloured vertebral line from nape to tip of tail; dorsum greyish-brown, with 7–8 dirty-white bands between nape and sacrum. Meanwhile, the distribution of G. palmatus in China has been confirmed as occurring in Guangxi and Guangdong Provinces. This study brings the total species of the subgenus Japonigekko in China to 19.

Its all in the name: Another new Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from northern Mizoram, North-east India.

A new species of Cyrtodactylus is described from Vairengte town, situated in the Kolasib District of Mizoram State, north-eastern India. The new species is found to be a member of Indo-Burman Cyrtodactylus khasiensis clade based on ND2 gene sequences and morphological parameters, such as number of precloacal pores, mid-ventral scale rows, paravertebral tubercles on the trunk, dorsal tubercle rows, subdigital lamellae on pes and subcaudal scalation, making it the sixth endemic Cyrtodactylus from Mizoram and twenty second from north-east India. Moreover, phylogenetic evidence suggests the new species to be sister to the recently described C. aaronbaueri, and morphological analyses also reveal marginal separation between the two species based on the PCA of infralabials, lamellae on fingers and toes, paravertebral tubercles on the trunk, and dorsal tubercle rows.

Two new species of South Asian Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Gingee Hills, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract We describe two new small-bodied, sympatric species of south Asian Cnemaspis belonging to the mysoriensis + adii clade from the Gingee Hills in Tamil Nadu, peninsular India. The two new species can be easily distinguished from the other eight described members of the mysoriensis + adii clade by their dorsal pholidosis, the configuration of femoral and precloacal pores in males, a number of meristic characters and subtle differences in colouration, beside 6.7–20.8 % uncorrected pairwise ND2 sequence divergence. The two species represent different ecomorphs, one a stouter, microhabitat generalist and the other a more slender, elongate rock specialist. The discovery of two new species from granite boulder habitats and Tropical Dry Evergreen Forests is indicative of the importance of these areas for biodiversity. It is likely that similar rocky habitats across southern peninsular India will harbour many more undescribed species.

A new species of Liolaemus (Iguania: Liolaemidae) from the hot deserts of northern Patagonia, Argentina

A new species of Liolaemus is described from southwest of the town of Añelo, Neuquén Province, Argentina. Integrative evidence methodology of external morphological characters and molecular phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA (cyt-b) is used to place the new species to the species group of Liolaemus boulengeri. The new species is phenotypically close to L. mapuche. The new Liolaemus is medium to large in size (males 77.64–83.98 mm, females 72.88–78.58 mm), with evident sexual dichromatism. Genetic distances of the mtDNA (cyt-b) between the new species and its closest relative species are greater than 3% (L. cuyanus 7.48–12.02%; L. josei 7.56–9.60%; L. puelche 8.23–9.93%; L. mapuche 8.51–9.79%). Molecular and morphological phylogenetic results show L. mapuche as the sister species of the new one. The new species is larger than L. mapuche. Dorsal and ventral scales are more numerous in the new species than in L. mapuche, precloacal pores in females are present in L. mapuche and absent in the new species. It has strict psammophilic habits, using sand mounds and sheltering, under Alpataco (Neltuma alpataco) bushes. The L. boulengeri group now contains 75 species distributed in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

A new species of the Cyrtodactylusquadrivirgatus complex (Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Sumatra Barat, Indonesia.

Among the six species of Cyrtodactylus occurring in Sumatra, two species were described based on non-Sumatran type series, C.consobrinus and C.quadrivirgatus. The latter species was described originally from Thailand thus the wider distribution in Sumatra should be clarified taxonomically. Cyrtodactylusquadrivirgatus from Sumatra Barat was examined using both morphology and the Natrium Dehydrogenase Subunit 2 (ND2) gene to clarify its taxonomic status and phylogenetic placement. It was found that these specimens form a sister clade to all other species of the sworderi group from Peninsular Malaysia and the genetic distance ranges from 20-24.3%. This subset is herein described as a new species. The new species is readily distinguished from C.quadrivirgatus and other Sumatran species by a combination of characters: small size SVL 37.5-53.78 mm; longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles 16-19; paravertebral tubercles 31-41; ventral scales 32-43; 24-49 enlarged precloacal and femoral scales; precloacal pores rarely present; no precloacal depression; two postcloacal tubercles on each side; 14-19 subdigital lamellae on forth toe; 9-15 supralabial scales; 9-12 infralabial scales; three or four internasal scales; and 3-6 gular scales that border the first pair of postmental scales. This work underscores the importance of clarifying widely distributed species for taxonomic validation.

The discovery of two new species in the Cyrtodactylus irregularis group highlights that hidden diversity remains in the largest clade of the mega-diverse genus Cyrtodactylus

The Cyrtodactylus irregularis group, originally considered to consist of only one taxon, has been split into 26 species. We herein present the distribution of all species within the group in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and describe two new species based on integrative analyses. Cyrtodactylus chumuensis sp. nov. is discovered from Dak Lak Province and distinguished from the remaining taxa by more than 11.86% genetic divergence and by the following distinct morphological characters: size medium (SVL 67.5 mm); enlarged femoral scales on each thigh 4–5, femoral pores 0–2 in males; precloacal pores 6–7 in males; ventral scale rows 43–45; lamellae under toe IV 17–21. Cyrtodactylus arndti sp. nov. is described from Binh Dinh Province and genetically differentiated from its congeners by a minimum of 11.42% and by the following characters: adult size medium (SVL 73.4–80.8 mm); enlarged femoral scales on each thigh 5–11; femoral pores 0–2 in males; 6 precloacal pores in males, females with 6 pitted precloacal pores; ventral scale rows 26–38; lamellae under toe IV 17–22; subcaudal scales transversely enlarged. Additionally, we highlight the potential cryptic diversity with the taxon currently regarded as C. pseudoquadrivirgatus and understudied areas in Vietnam where new species will likely be discovered.

An expanded description of Cnemaspis gracilis (Beddome 1870) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) based on recent material.

Cnemaspis gracilis is a poorly known species that has been reported from across southern India, with 11 named species within the clade. The species is known only from the type series, as many other records from areas outside the type locality have turned out to represent distinct species. We provide an expanded morphological description of the species based on topotypic material and other samples that were assigned using genetic data. Cnemaspis gracilis is now known with certainty from three localities in the vicinity of Palakkad, Palakkad District, Kerala, and Valparai town, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, besides from an introduced population in the Timber Market, Kolhapur city, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, India. The species is 7.6-15.8 % divergent on the ND2 gene from described members of the gracilis clade and can be diagnosed by a combination of morphological characters including body size, number of paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, number of dorsal tubercle rows, number of ventral scale rows across the belly, number of femoral and precloacal pores and poreless scales separating these series in males, and the presence of a single central black ocellus on the neck and a smaller one on the occiput. The assignment of extant populations to the species, a detailed morphological description and genetic data will allow the description of many more species from within this diverse clade of diurnal geckos.

A phylogenetic and taxonomic assessment of the Cnemaspis alwisi group (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka with a description of two new species from isolated misty-mountains

Sri Lanka is a local hotspot for Cnemaspis day geckos with 40 currently known species with 100% endemism. In this paper, we evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of Cnemaspis species belonging to the alwisi group of the podihuna clade and describe two additional new species of Cnemaspis from Sri Lanka; one from Galgiriya mountain, Kurunegala District, and another from Ethagala mountain, Ampara District. These new species were recorded from granite caves within forested areas in isolated mountains in the dry bioclimatic zone (point-endemics). Both new species are microhabitat specialists with narrow niches limited to humid, cool, canopy-shaded granite caves and old buildings associated with granite caves, where they are camouflaged by their cryptic morphology and body colouration. Furthermore, both species prefer narrow (~ 6–12 mm), long (~ 120–450 mm) and deep (~ 80–260 mm) crevices as refugia. The regions in which these habitats are located receive relatively low annual rainfall (1,000–1,500 mm). These new species are medium in size (28.5–36.8 mmSVL) and can be differentiated from all other Sri Lankan Cnemaspis by the presence of clearly enlarged, subhexagonal subcaudal scales and the absence of precloacal pores in males. Both species described here are categorised herein as Critically Endangered (CR) under the IUCN Red List criteria. The major threats for these new species are habitat loss due to expansion of commercial-scale agriculture, illicit forest encroachments, and forest fires. Therefore, we recommend that relevant authorities take immediate conservation action to ensure the protection of these forest areas with their buffer zones in the near future.

A New Amphisbaena species from a Restinga Habitat of Southeastern Brazil (Reptilia, Squamata, Amphisbaenidae)

A new species of Amphisbaena is described from the restinga environment of Grumari in Rio de Janeiro municipality, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. This small form has a total length of 115.0 mm, a maximum 3.7 mm diameter at midbody, 186 left ventral annuli, 21 caudal annuli, 26 – 28 annuli scales at midbody and four precloacal pores. Autotomic tail annulus is absent. Characteristically, it has an enlarged pair of temporal shields coupled with a distinctive lateral tail compression. The new species is easily recognizable and distinguishable from any of the other Amphisbaena forms. There are only two Amphisbaena species effectively registered for Rio de Janeiro State (A. alba and A. hogei), and the species here described would add the third known Amphisbaena species for Rio de Janeiro state and raise the number of Amphisbaena species registered for Brazil to 71.

A multitude of spots! Five new microendemic species of the Cnemaspis gracilis group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from massifs in the Shevaroy landscape, Tamil Nadu, India

South Asian Cnemaspis are one of the most diverse clades of gekkonids in South Asia with their highest diversity in the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. These geckos include only a few nocturnal species and are largely diurnal or cathemeral and restricted to relatively cool habitats. One of the prominently diurnal subgroups in South Asian Cnemaspis is the bangara clade, which includes six species distributed in southern India on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, the southern Eastern Ghats and Palghat Gap. In this paper, we describe five more species of the bangara clade from the Shevaroyan landscape, including three from Kollimalai and one each from Yercaud and Pachaimalai, all in Tamil Nadu. These new species show 4.6–19.7 % uncorrected sequence divergence on the mitochondrial ND2 gene from each other and known species of the bangara clade and are morphologically diagnosable in body size, the number of paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, the number of dorsal tubercle rows, the number of ventral scale rows across the belly, the number of femoral and precloacal pores and poreless scales separating these series, and aspects of colouration. The discovery of these five new species adds to the growing discoveries of cool-adapted species in southern India outside the Western Ghats and highlights the role of sky-islands in diversification. The Shevaroyan landscape shows high levels of microendemism with eight species distributed in an area of &amp;lt; 2000 km2, and all these species restricted to much smaller areas of actual distribution. With an area of &amp;lt; 500 km2 respectively, the massif of Pachaimalai has a single endemic and the massifs of Yercaud and Kollimalai have three endemic Cnemaspis species each.

Morphological and molecular phylogenetic data reveal another new species of bent-toed gecko (Cyrtodactylus Gray: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Mizoram, India

ABSTRACT A new species of Cyrtodactylus is described herein on the basis of morphological and phylogenetic evidence inferred from the mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydride dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene from Mizoram, Northeast India. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by an adult snout-vent length of 62.6–68.6 mm; 10–11 supralabials; 9–11 infralabials; dorsal tubercles rounded, conical to weakly keeled and in 19–20 longitudinal rows; 32–36 paravertebral tubercles between the level of axilla and groin; 32–39 mid-ventral scale rows across the ventral region; 6 precloacal pores in males and 0–6 precloacal pits in females; 14–18 subdigital lamellae under toe IV; no single row of transversely enlarged subcaudal scales; indistinct pattern of alternating dark brown blotches on the dorsum of the body. Morphologically and genetically, the new species is recovered as the sister species to C. aaronbaueri, but is genetically distinct by an uncorrected p-distance of 0.099–0.1, and morphologically in the number of precloacal pores, mid-ventral scale rows, paravertebral tubercles on the trunk, dorsal tubercle rows, dorsal spot, and subdigital lamellae on pes. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8E9144FA-EFAF-4C7D-B64F-667706643EC5

Goniurosaurus wangshu sp. nov., a new species of Tiger Gecko from Guangdong, China (Squamata: Eublepharidae)

A new species of Tiger Gecko in the genus Goniurosaurus is described from Guangdong, China. This new species, Goniurosaurus wangshu sp. nov. is the fifth species of Goniurosaurus found in karst topography of Guangdong. It is distinguished morphologically from congeners in this region by the combination of thirteen precloacal pores in male; dorsal ground color of head, body, and limbs in adults yellow; and iris orange. To validate our morphological inferences and support the description of Goniurosaurus wangshu sp. nov. as a new species, we sequenced 16S, CMOS, cytb, and RAG1 gene regions and performed molecular phylogenetic analyses. Phylogenetic analysis places the new species within the G. yingdeensis group and highlights the evolutionary distinction between this new species and other described congeners.