Hemiphyllodactylus zhutangxiangensis, Agung & Grismer & Grismer & Quah & Chornelia & Lu & Hughes, 2021

Agung, Ade Prasetyo, Grismer, L. Lee, Grismer, Jesse L., Quah, Evan S. H., Chornelia, Ada, Lu, Jianmei & Hughes, Alice C., 2021, A new species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Yunnan, China and its phylogenetic relationship to other congeners, Zootaxa 4980 (1), pp. 1-27 : 11-24

Hemiphyllodactylus zhutangxiangensis sp. nov.

Zhutangxiang slender gecko

Holotype. Adult male ( KIZ061157 ) collected on 21 August 2018 by Ade P. Agung, Ada Chornelia, Jianmei Lu, L. Lee Grismer, Jesse L. Grismer, Evan S.H. Quah, Brian Folt, and Myin Kyaw Thura from forested karst approximately 1 km northwest of Zhutangxiang town , Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, China (22.72345°N, 99.80087°E; 1499 m in elevation).

Paratypes. Four adult females ( KIZ061156 , KIZ061158–60 ) bear the same data as the holotype, two adult males ( KIZ061164 , KIZ061166 ) and six adult females ( KIZ061161–63 , KIZ061165 , KIZ061167–68 ) were collected on 26 June 2019 by Ade P. Agung, Jianmei Lu and Yang Zongbao from karst forest nearby Zhutangxiang town , Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, China (22.732306°N 99.798167°E; 1492 m in elevation) .

Diagnosis. Hemiphyllodactylus zhutangxiangensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by having the unique combination of a maximum SVL of 44.42 mm; 7–9 chin scales; enlarged postmentals; five circumnasal scales; 2–4 internasal scales; 8–11 supralabial scales; 8–11 infralabial scales; subdigital lamellae on fingers II–V (3–5)-(4–6)-(4 or 5)-(4 or 5); subdigital lamellae on toes II–V (4 or 5)-(4 or 5)-(4–6)-(4 or 5); dorsal scales 11–15; ventral scales 5–7; having pale-grey base color on body with various transverse blotched patterns on the dorsal side; a dark postorbital stripe extending to at least base of neck; no dorsolateral or ventrolateral stripe on trunk; postsacral marking bearing dark fork-like pattern with anteriorly projecting arms.

Description of holotype. Adult male, SVL 41.35 mm; head triangular in dorsal profile, depressed, distinct from neck (HL 7.20 mm; HW 7.57 mm); lores flat; snout long (SnEye 3.95 mm; SnEye/HL 55%), narrow (SnW 1.40 mm; SnW/HW 16%); eye large (ED 2.12 mm; ED/HL 30%); rostral scale wider than high, bordered posteriorly by two large supranasals and four internasals (IS); nares bordered anteriorly by rostral scale, ventrally by first supralabial scale, dorsally by supranasal scale, posteriorly by two postnasals; supralabials square, 9/9 (left/right), tapering from rostral to a point in line with posterior margin of orbit (SL); infralabials square, 9/9 (left/right), tapering from mental to a point in line with posterior margin of orbit (IL); scales on head small, rounded, largest on rostrum; mental triangular, bordered by first infralabials and posteriorly by two enlarged postmentals; each postmental bordered anterolaterally by first infralabial; eight chin scales touching internal edges of infralabials from juncture of the 2nd and the 3rd on left and right and mental scale (Chin); scales in gular region rounded, non-overlapping, becoming larger and more ovoid on venter. Robust body type and small, (TrunkL/SVL 48%), dorsoventrally compressed; dorsal body scales small, granular, 11 dorsal scales at midbody contained within one eye diameter; ventral body scales smooth and flat, much larger than dorsal scales, subimbricate, five ventral scales at midbody contained within one eye diameter; fore-limbs relatively short, covered dorsally with granular, subimbricate scales, smaller smooth scales ventrally; palmar scales flat, unevenly shaped, non-overlapping; finger I vestigial, clawless, fingers II–V welldeveloped; proximal subdigital lamellae undivided, rectangular; distal subdigital lamellae divided and undivided, angular, U-shaped, except terminal lamellae rounded, undivided; lamellar formula on fingers II–V (4)-(4)-(4)-(4) on left hand and (3)-(4)-(4)-(4) on right hand; claws on fingers II–V well-developed, unsheathed, strongly curved; hind limbs short, covered dorsally with granular, subimbricate scales, smaller smooth scales ventrally; plantar scales flat, unevenly shaped, non-overlapping; toe I vestigial, clawless, toes II–V well-developed; proximal subdigital lamellae undivided, rectangular; distal subdigital lamellae divided and undivided, angular, U-shaped, except terminal lamellae rounded, undivided; lamellar formula on toes II–V (4)-(4)-(4)-(4) on both feet; claws on toes II–V welldeveloped, unsheathed, strongly curved; cloacal spurs (CloacS) one on each side; tail long, original (TL 37.40 mm; TL/SVL 90%), round in cross-section, dorsal scales on tail larger than on body and head, smaller than subcaudals, no plate-like subcaudal scales.

Coloration in life ( Figure 5 ). All Hemiphyllodactylus are known to have the ability to considerably change the intensity and boldness of their coloration and pattern. The description below was taken when the holotype was photographed in the morning after it had been captured. The base color of the dorsal side of the head, body, and limbs are pale-grey and densely mottled with darker markings; top of head overlain with dark blotches; dark pre-and postorbital stripes extend from the external nares, through eye to just anterior of forelimb insertion on the body; postsacral marking bearing dark fork-like pattern with anteriorly projecting arms; limbs bearing irregularly shaped, diffuse, dark markings; tail bearing irregularly shaped, dark and light colored alternating markings; abdomen unicolor grey.

Variation. Coloration of this species varies considerably ( Figure 5 ). Variation of mensural and meristic data are presented in Table 6 .

Distribution. Hemiphyllodactylus zhutangxiangensis sp. nov. is at present only known from the type localities nearby Zhutangxiang town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, China ( Figure 7 ).

Natural history. The holotype was collected together with the four paratypes ( KIZ061156 , KIZ061158–60 ) in the evening on 21 August 2018 on the cement wall of an abandoned building which was surrounded by cement mining activities in a forested karst area approximately 1 km northwest of Zhutangxiang town ( Figure 6 ). The other eight paratypes ( KIZ061161–68 ) were collected together in the evening on 26 June 2019 approximately 1 km further north from the holotype’s locality, in another cement mine within an area of forested karst. The specimens were also collected when they were crawling on the cement wall of an abandoned building .

Etymology. The specific epithet, zhutangxiangensis , refers to the name of the town Zhutangxiang in Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, China, close to where the specimens were found.

Morphological comparisons. We statistically compared the new species with Hemiphyllodactylus changningensis in its sister lineage, in clade 3 (see results, Table 5 , and Figure 4 ). In addition, in terms of body ratios, H. zhutangxiangensis sp. nov. differs from H. changningensis , H. zalonicus , and H. longlingensis by having a shorter head (HL/SVL = 0.17–0.20 versus 0.22–0.25, 0.22–0.23, 0.22–0.24, respectively); wider head (HW/HL = 1.03–1.13 versus 0.72–0.80, 0.68, 0.75–0.80, respectively); greater SnEye distance (SnEye/HL = 0.53–0.60 versus 0.41–0.49, 0.40–0.42, 0.42–0.45, respectively); greater NarEye distance (NarEye/HL = 0.39–0.44 versus 0.30–0.37, 0.28–0.31, 0.29–0.34, respectively); larger eyes (ED/HL = 0.30–0.36 versus 0.21–0.25, 0.23–0.30, 0.22–0.25, respectively); a wider snout (SnW/HL = 0.19–0.22 versus 0.12–0.16, 0.14, 0.12–0.14, respectively). In terms of scalation, the new species differs from H. changningensis by having more CN (five versus three or four); differs from H. zalonicus by having fewer VS and DS (5–7 versus 9–10, and 11–15 versus 17–18, respectively). For the lamellar, femoroprecloacal pores, and coloration, the new species differs from H. changningensis and H. zalonicus by having more lamellae on the hand (3–5)-(4–6)-(4 or 5)-(4 or 5) versus (3)-(3 or 4)-(3 or 4)-(3), and (3)-(3)-(3)-(3), respectively); more lamellae on the foot (4 or 5)-(4 or 5)-(4–6)-(4 or 5) versus (3)-(3 or 4)-(3 or 4)-(3 or 4), and (3)-(4)-(4)-(4), respectively). Furthermore, H. zhutangxiangensis sp. nov. also differs from H. changningensis by having dark transverse blotches on the dorsum, while such blotching is absent in the later; the absence of a dark reticulate dorsal pattern, present on the later; and having a fork-like dark-colored postsacral marking, that is absent in the later. It also differs from H. zalonicus by having more femoroprecloacal pores (20–23 versus 16–20); having dark transverse dorsal blotches, while these are absent in the later; having a fork-like dark-colored postsacral marking, that is absent or indistinct in the later (see Table 7 for comparative values).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Mensural (7) and meristic (1) traits that differ significantly between H. changningensis and H. zhutangxiangensis sp. nov. Boxplots show raw data, but significance tests for mensural traits were conducted using adjusted values aligned to the grand mean of SVL across both species (see Methods). See Table 5 for significance levels of differences.

FIGURE 5. Hemiphyllodactylus zhutangxiangensis sp. nov.: (A) holotype, KIZ061157, male in life; (B) paratype, KIZ061159, female, in life; (C) & (D) ventral and dorsal view of the holotype’s head in preserved condition, black circles indicates Chin and IS, respectively; (E) dorsal view of holotype (KIZ061157)—on the left, with three paratypes (KIZ061159, KIZ061156, KIZ061158), respectively. Photos: (A) & (B) by Evan S. H. Quah; (C), (D) & (E) by Ada Chornelia.

FIGURE 6. Habitat of Hemiphyllodactylus zhutangxiangensis sp. nov.: (A) site where the specimens were found close to quarrying activities; (B) abandoned building where the specimens spotted; (C) view of karst hills near Zhutangxiang town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, China. Photos: (A) & (B) by Ada Chornelia; (C) by Jianmei Lu.

FIGURE 7. Distribution map of H. zhutangxiangensis sp. nov. and several of its congeners from Clade 3, Clade 4, and Indochina clade.