Hemiphyllodactylus changningensis, Guo, Weibo, Zhou, Kaiya, Yan, Jie & Li, Peng, 2015

Guo, Weibo, Zhou, Kaiya, Yan, Jie & Li, Peng, 2015, A new species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from western Yunnan, China, Zootaxa 3974 (3), pp. 377-390 : 381-383

Hemiphyllodactylus changningensis sp. nov.

Changning Slender Gecko

Holotype. NJNUh (Nanjing Normal University herpetology) 0 0 315, adult male, collected on 8 July, 2012 by P. Li and J. Yan in the vicinity of Changning County, Yunnan Province, China (24°49.224’N, 99°36.523’E, at an elevation of 1682 m).

Paratypes. Nine specimens from the same locality and with the same collection data as the holotype: three adult males NJNUh00328, NJNUh00331 and NJNUh00334, and six females NJNUh00321, NJNUh00323, NJNUh00325–00326, NJNUh00335 and NJNUh00349.

Diagnosis. The new species is distinguished from the remaining congeners by a combination of the following characters: a bisexual taxon; a maximum SVL of 40.1 mm in males and 43.8 mm in females; 7 or 8 chin scales; enlarged postmental scales; 3 or 4 circumnasal scales; 2 or 3 scales between supranasals; 8–11 supralabials; 8–10 infralabials; 11–15 dorsal scale rows; 6–8 ventral scale rows; a forefoot lamellar formula of 3-3/4-3/4-3; a hindfoot lamellar formula of 3-4-4-4 or 3-3-3-3; 3 or 4 subdigital lamellae on the first finger; 3 or 4 subdigital lamellae on the first toe; precloacal and femoral pore series continuous; 1 or 2 cloacal spurs on each side in both males and females; no enlarged subcaudal scales; dark dorsal transverse blotches; dark postorbital stripe; a brown postsacral mark bearing anteriorly projecting arms; and unpigmented caecum and gonads.

Description of holotype. Adult male; body slender; size small SVL 39.8 mm, tail 32.7 mm; trunk length (TrunkL) 18.7 mm; eye diameter (EyeD) 2.1 mm; head longer than wide (HeadL 8.9 mm, HeadW 7.1 mm); nareeye length (NarEye) 2.8 mm; snout-eye length (SnEye) 4.4 mm; internarial distance (SnW) 1.4 mm; ear opening distance (EearD) 0.7 mm. Proportions: TrunkL/SVL 47.0%, HeadL/SVL 22.4%, HeadW/SVL 17.8%, HeadW/ HeadL 79.8%, SnEye/HeadL 49.4%, NarEye/HeadL 31.5%, EyeD/HeadL 23.6%, SnW/HeadL 15.7%, EyeD/ NarEye 75.0%, SnW/HeadW 19.7%.

Scalation. Mental triangular, three postmentals, outer ones distinctly larger than the middle scale, in contact with mental and first infralabials anteriorly, behind the middle small postmental, there was a large scale in same size with two other postmentals; eight chin scales; labial scales enlarged from rostral to below eye, supralabials 9 (right) and 10 (left), infralabials 9 (right) and 10 (left); three circumnasal scales and three scales between supranasals; ventral trunk scales larger than dorsal ones, dorsal scale rows 12 at midbody (contained within one eye diameter), and ventral scales rows 6 at midbody (contained within one eye diameter); subcaudal scales slightly larger than dorsal caudal scales but not plate-like; one cloacal spur on each side; precloacal and femoral pore series continuous, 20 in total; subdigital lamellae 3 on the first finger and 3 on the first toe, respectively; digital formula 3-3-3-3 (forefoot) and 3-4-4-4 (hindfoot).

Coloration in preservative. Ground color of dorsal surface of head grey, two dark brown stripes extend from the posterior corner of the orbit on each side, passing above the ear opening to the occiput. Dark brown transverse bands present along dorsum. Dorsal surface of the limbs grey, with irregular brown markings. Dorsal surface of the tail is yellowish grey with several transverse brown bands. Ventral surface of the tail is light yellow. Ventral surface is cream grey, with dark dots on the head and body; dark dots occurring in high density on hind limbs and base of the tail.

Variation. Variation of measurements data and scalation characters are presented in Table 5 and Table 6 . Coloration of this species on body varies from grey (NJNUh00315, NJNUh00323, NJNUh00326, NJNUh00349) to tan (NJNUh00328, NJNUh00331, NJNUh00334).

Etymology. These slender geckos occur in the mountainous area of Changning County and the specific epithet refers to this region.

Natural history. Changning is located in the southern part of Hengduan Mountains. The specimens were collected in the evening on the walls of the village houses located near terraced fields about 1680 m above sea level. Two gravid females (NJNUh00321, NJNUh00323) each with two eggs.

Distribution. The species is currently known from Changning County and Longyang District of Baoshan City in western Yunnan, China.

Morphological comparisons. We compared the undescribed gecko species from western Yunnan with selected members of the genus Hemiphyllodactylus based on examination of specimens (see Appendix) and data obtained from the literature ( Zhou et al. 1981 with English translation of Ota 1996; Zug 2010; Grismer et al. 2013, 2014; Nguyen et al. 2013, 2014; Ngo et al. 2014). Diagnostic characters separating the species from other nominal taxa of Hemiphyllodactylus are shown in Table 4. The specimen of H. longlingensis inserta sedis is seriously damaged and many characters cannot be determined, but the lack of bright spots on the back is consistent with H. changningensis sp. nov., and different from H. longlingensis which has a series of white spots on the back of the trunk.

The undescribed species from western Yunnan differs from its closest sister taxon, Hemiphyllodactylus longlingensis (10 samples) by having the digital lamellar formulae (hindfoot) 3-4-4-4/3-3-3-3 (versus 4-4/5-4/5- 4 in H. longlingensis ), postsacral mark bearing anteriorly projecting arms (versus lacking anteriorly projecting arms in H. longlingensis ), without light longitudinal series of dorsal spots (versus white dorsal spots in H. longlingensis ), and smaller subcaudals than in H. longlingensis ( Fig. 2 ). It differs from other mainland China species in having the postsacral mark bearing anteriorly projecting arms (versus lacking anteriorly projecting arms in H. dushanensis (4 samples), H. jinpingensis (4 samples) and H. yunnanensis (4 samples)). It further differs from H. jinpingensis by its maximum SVL 43.8 mm (versus maximum SVL 39.6 mm in H. jinpingensis ), hindfoot lamellar formula 3-4-4-4/3- 3-3-3 (versus 4-4-4- 4 in H. jinpingensis ); from H. yunnanensis by having the hindfoot lamellar formula 3-4-4-4/3- 3-3-3 (versus 4-5-5-4 or 3-4-5- 5 in H. yunnanensis ); from H. dushanensis by its maximum SVL 43.8 mm (versus 50.6 mm in H. dushanensis ), lamellar formula 3-3/4-3/4-3 (forefoot) and 3-4-4-4 or 3-3-3-3 (hindfoot) (versus 3-4- 5-4 or 4-5-5-4/5 and 4-5-5-5 or 5-6-6-5, respectively, in H. dushanensis ), fewer total pores in males (19–22 versus 24–26 in H. dushanensis ), presence of dark dorsal transverse blotches (versus absent in H. dushanensis ); from H. banaensis Ngo, Grismer, Pham & Wood by its maximum SVL 43.8 mm (versus maximum SVL 51.0 mm in H. banaensis ), having fewer scales between supranasals (2–3 versus 4–11 in H. banaensis ), fewer dorsal and ventral scale rows (11–15 and 6–8 versus 17–20 and 9–12, respectively, in H. banaensis ), fewer subdigital lamellae on first finger and first toe (3–4 and 3–4 versus 5 and 5, respectively, in H. banaensis ); from H. chiangmaiensis by having caecum and gonadal peritoneum unpigmented (versus pigmented in H. chiangmaiensis ); from H. kiziriani Nguyen, Botov, Le, Nophaseud, Zug, Bonkowski & Ziegler by having fewer dorsal and ventral scale rows (11–15 and 6–8 versus 18–27 and 11–15, respectively, in H. kiziriani ), by having hindfoot lamellar formula 3-4-4-4/3-3-3-3 (versus 4-4/5-4/5- 4 in H. kiziriani ), fewer subdigital lamellae on first finger and first toe (3–4 and 3–4 versus 5 and 5, respectively, in H. kiziriani ); from H. zugi by having fewer chin scales (7–8 versus 9–12 in H. zugi ), fewer dorsal and ventral scale rows (11–15 and 6–8 versus 20–22 and 15–16, respectively, in H. zugi ), and by having the hindfoot lamellar formula 3-4-4-4/3-3-3-3 (versus 4-5-5- 5 in H. zugi ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Subcaudals in Hemiphyllodactylus longlingensis (NJNUh 00198) (left) and H. changningensis sp. nov. (NJNUh 00315) (right).