Goniurosaurus wangshu Zhu, Wu, Li & He, 2022

Zhu, Xiao-Yu, Wu, Shi-Yang, Liu, Yi-Jiao, Bai, Yun, Román-Palacios, Cristian, Li, Zheng & He, Zhu-Qing, 2022, Goniurosaurus wangshu sp. nov., a new species of Tiger Gecko from Guangdong China (Squamata: Eublepharidae), Zootaxa 5188 (6), pp. 544-558 : 551-555

Goniurosaurus wangshu Zhu, Wu, Li & He sp. nov.

( Fig. 3 )

Holotype. ECNU-V0085 , adult male, from northern Guangdong Province, China, 200–300 m in elevation; exact locality withheld because of conservation concerns, available to qualified researchers upon request. Collected on 21-ix-2021 by Zhu Xiao-Yu. GenBank accession numbers are in Table 2 ( Fig. 3A ).

Paratype. ECNU-V0084 , adult female, same data as holotype. GenBank accession numbers in Table 2 ( Fig. 3B ) .

Diagnosis. Goniurosaurus wangshu sp. nov. differs from other congeners by a combination of the following characters: small size (SVL 76.08–83.60 mm in adults); nasal scales surrounding nostril 7–8; two internasals; eyelid fringe scales 53–58; granular scales of the upper eyelids similar in size to those on the top of the head; scales around midbody 112–126; dorsal tubercle rows at midbody 20–22; paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions 30–34 ( Table 4 ); claws sheathed by four scales ( Fig. 3E ), dorsal scale small, two lateral scales short and clam shell-shaped; axillary pockets deep; thirteen precloacal pores in male ( Fig. 3F ), absent in female; dorsal ground color of head, body, and limbs in adults yellow; nuchal loop complete, posteriorly rounded; three body bands, and one postsacral band; venter light pink, evenly covered with fine imbricating scales, with a thin line longitudinally oriented; iris orange.

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Description. Holotype. ECNU-V0085, adult male; SVL: 83.60 mm; TaL (regenerated): 59.22 mm; AG: 33.70 mm; SE 8.78 mm; EE: 8.90 mm; HW: 19.48 mm; HL: 15.25 mm; SVL: AG 2.48; SVL: HL: 3.78; HL: HW 1.44; SE: EE: 0.98. Head triangular, wider than neck, covered with uniform granular scales interspersed with tubercles on top of head ( Fig. 3A, C, D ); small granular scales evenly cover the area between orbits, slightly smaller than those of rostrum; supraorbital tubercles subequal; rostral convex, wider than high, middorsal portion partially sutured dorsomedially, bordered laterally by first supralabial and prenasal, posteriorly by supranasal; external nares oval, surrounded by 7(L)/6(R) nasals each, anteriorly by prenasal, dorsally by supranasal and one granular scale on the left side, posteriorly by 4(L)/4(R) smaller granular scales, ventrally by the prenasal ( Fig. 3D ); prenasals with long recurved ventral portion; supranasals separated by a small sector shaped scale; supralabials 8(L)/7(R), rectangular, grading into smaller scales posteriorly; eyes relatively large, pupils vertical; eyelid fringe scales 55(L)/53(R); a fold of skin originating in suborbital region extends posteroventrally across angle of jaw; external auditory meatus elliptical with long axis directed dorsoventrally; tympanum deeply recessed, bordered anteriorly by two spinose scales; mental triangular, bordered laterally by first infralabial and posteriorly by four postmentals; postmentals bordered by eight gular scales; infralabials rectangular 5(L)/7(R). Neck narrower than body, covered with uniform granular scales interspersed with conical tubercles on nape; dorsal body tubercles surrounded by 10 or 11 granular scales; 20–22 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercle at midbody; 30–33 paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, distinct vertebral row of scales absent. Body relatively thin, covered with granular scales grading ventrally into larger flattened subimbricate ventral scales; 116–122 scales around midbody; larger ventral scales grade abruptly into smaller granular scales immediately anterior to vent; 13 pore-bearing precloacal scales in a continuous transverse series without extending onto proximal regions of thighs ( Fig. 3F ); two enlarged postcloacal tubercles laterally on each side at level of vent. Limbs relatively long and slender, covered dorsally with granular scales interspersed with closely spaced tubercles and ventrally with flat, juxtaposed to subimbricate scales; hindlimbs larger and longer than forelimbs; dorsal surface of pes and manus covered with granular scales with several conical tubercles on top of pes; ventral surface of pes and manus covered with large granular scales; deep axillary pockets present; subdigital lamellae wide, 9(L)/10(R) on first finger, 16(L)/17(R) on fourth finger, 11(L)/10(R) on first toe, 25 (L)/24(R) on fourth toe. Fingers laterally compressed, relative finger lengths I <II <III≈V<IV; toes laterally compressed, relative toe length I <II <IV <III <V; claws sheathed by four scales, two lateral scales long,curved, and clam shell-shaped, dorsal scale shorter than lateral scales but much longer than ventral scale ( Fig. 3E ). Regenerated tail thin at base, gradually thickening posteriorly, and gradually thinning into a blunt tip.

Coloration in life. Dorsal ground color of head, body, and limbs yellow-gray, with black blotches in irregular shapes, closely spaced, some black blotches on head randomly connected; iris orange; nuchal loop pale yellow, posterior margin rounded, not pointed; three body bands between limb insertions, one postsacral band on tail base; all bands pale yellow; ventral surfaces of head and limbs dull white, belly light pink; ground color of tail black with white markings. Tail regenerated, white markings irregular and randomly connected towards the tip, encircling the tail.

Comparsions. Goniurosaurus wangshu sp. nov. is most similar to G. gollum , but differs from it by having the combination of the following characters: fewer SPL (7–8 in G. wangshu , 10 in G. gollum ), fewer SBL (5–7 in G. wangshu , 10 in G. gollum ), fewer CIL (53–58 in G. wangshu , 59–63 in G. gollum ), more PM (4 in G. wangshu , 2–3 in G. gollum ), more TL (30–34 in G. wangshu , 25–26 in G. gollum ), 13 PP (versus 10–11 in G. gollum ), and lighter iris color. G. wangshu is different from G. zhelongi with more PO (15–17 in G. wangshu , 12–15 in G. zhelongi ), more CIL (53–58 in G. wangshu , 45–52 in G. zhelongi ), more MB (112–126 in G. wangshu , 105–109 in G. zhelongi ), more LT4 (23–25 in G. wangshu , 17–22 in G. zhelongi ), 13 PP (versus 9 in G. zhelongi ), dorsal ground color of head, body, and limbs yellow-gray (versus black in G. zhelongi ), iris dark orange (versus gray-white in G. zhelongi ), pale yellow nuchal loop and body bands (vs. dirty white in G. zhelongi ),. G. wangshu is distinctive from G. varius with fewer SBL (5–7 in G. wangshu , 8–9 in G. varius ), more TL (30–34 in G. wangshu , 28–29 in G. varius ), more MB (112–126 in G. wangshu , 101–110 in G. varius ), more LT4 (23–25 in G.wangshu , 18–21 in G. varius ), more PP (13 in G. wangshu , 10 in G. varius ), iris dark orange (versus orange-red in G. varius ), nuchal loop complete (versus usually incomplete in G. varius ). G. wangshu can also be distinguished from G. yingdeensis by fewer SBL (5–7 in G. wangshu , 7–10 in G. yingdeensis ), 7–8 white ring-shaped markings on original tail (versus 8–9 in G. yingdeensis and connected at tip), iris dark orange (versus gray, near pupil orange), nuchal loop and body bands wider, and black blotches on dorsal head surface larger and more connected.

Variation. Measurements and scalation data of the type series are provided in Table 5 . The paratype largely matches the overall scalation and coloration characters of the holotype. The original tail of paratype ECNU-V0084 is thinner and longer than that of the holotype, with 7–8 ring-shaped white markings, the white color fading or disappearing at the tip. Some individuals are yellow-tinged on the first white ring at the base of the tail. CIL of paratype is 56/58 .

Etymology. The specific epithet wangshu is for the Chinese phonetic alphabet 望ffl, which was noted in ancient Chinese poem Li Sao over 2000 years ago. In ancient Chinese mythology, Wang Shu is the driver of the chariot of the moon. This name also corresponds to the time when the specimens were collected during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is a traditional Chinese Festival that is associated with the full moon.Additionally, this name appeals to the yellow color of the species that resembles the moonlight. The epithet is a noun in apposition. For the common name, we suggest “ Wangshu Cave Gecko 望fflḃnj ”.

Natural history. G. wangshu is found in northern Guangdong, China. This species is restricted to karst topography with dense vegetation at 200–300 m elevation. They climb on limestone cliffs to prey on small invertebrates such as locusts (Acridoidea), snails (Gastropoda), and earthworms (Opisthopora). Asian tarantulas ( Chilobrachys ) co-occur in this area .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Goniurosaurus wangshu sp. nov.. A: Dorsal view of holotype, ECNU-V0085; B: Doreal view of paratype, ECNU- V0084; C: Ventral view of the snout tip of ECNU-V0085; D: Dorsal view of the snout tip of ECNU-V0085; E: Lateral view of the sheathed claws of ECNU-V0085; F: Precloacal region of ECNU-V0085.

Tables

TABLE 4. Comparisons of morphometric characters and scale counts for four Goniurosaurus species within the ying-

		SVL	SPL	SBL	PO	CIL	PM
G. wangshu	mean		7.50	6.00	16.00	55.50	4.00
sp. nov.	SD		0.58	0.82	0.82	2.08	0.00
	range	76.08–83.60	7.00–8.00	5.00–7.00	15.00–17.00	53.00–58.00	4.00
G. yingdeensis	mean		8.95	8.41	17.36	52.86	3.00
	SD		1.00	0.73	1.50	3.87	0.63
	range	82.00–96.30	7.00–11.00	7.00–10.00	15.00–21.00	46.00–58.00	2.00–4.00
	mean		8.95	6.90	14.20	48.30	5.00
	SD		0.67	0.32	0.79	2.00	1.00
	range	86.00–93.40	7.00–9.00	6.00–7.00	12.00–15.00	45.00–52.00	4.00–6.00
G. varius	mean		8.30	8.70	14.30	52.90	3.20
	SD		0.95	0.48	1.64	1.91	0.45
	range	81.50–86.30	7.00–10.00	8.00–9.00	11.00–16.00	50.00–56.00	3.00–4.00
G. gollum	mean		10.00	10.00	16.00	60.83	2.67
	SD		0.00	0.00	0.89	1.83	0.58
	range	91.00–93.40	10.00	10.00	15.00–17.00	59.00–63.00	2.00–3.00