VietNamNet Bridge - Scientists recently announced a new gecko species based on specimens collected in the karst forest of Cao Bang Province, northern Vietnam.



{keywords}

 

 

 

The new species of gecko is named Zug Hemiphyllodactylus zugi Nguyen, Lehmann, Le, Duong, Bonkowski & Ziegler, 2013. It is named after American researcher, Professor George Zug, a scientist of the Smithsonian Institute. He has made significant contributions in the study of reptiles in Asia.

According to information on the website of the Academy of Science and Technology of Vietnam (VAST), the new gecko species is distinguished from the remaining congeners by a combination of the following characters: a bisexual taxon; average SVL of adult males 41 mm, of adult female 46.6 mm; chin scales bordering mental and first infralabial distinctly enlarged; digital lamellae formulae 3-4-4-4 (forefoot) and 4-5-5-5 (hind foot); femoral and precloaca pore series continuous, 18–21 in total in males, absent in female; cloaca spur single in males; dorsal trunk pattern of dark brown irregular transverse bands; dark lateral head stripe indistinct; upper zone of flank with a series of large light spots, edged above and below in dark grey; caecum and gonadal ducts un-pigmented.

This species was published in the journal Zootaxa of New Zealand this month.

The genus Hemiphyllodactylus contains nine species worldwide but only H. yunnanensis Boulenger, 1903 is currently known from Vietnam (Zug 2010). However, the taxonomic status of this species remains unresolved (Zug 2010). Four subspecies, viz. H. typus chapaensis Bourret, 1937 from Lao Cai Province (Vietnam), H. yunnanensis longlingensis Zhou & Liu, 1981 (in Zhou et al. 1981) and H. yunnanensis jinpingensis Zhou & Liu, 1981 (in Zhou et al. 1981) from Yunnan Province, and H. yunnanensis dushanensis Zhou & Liu, 1981 (in Zhou et al. 1981) from Guizhou Province (China) were synonymized with H. yunnanensis by Zug (2010). This author subsequently recognized two forms of H. yunnanensis: the highland populations from southern China and adjacent northern Southeast Asia from Myanmar to Vietnam and another form (“lowland” populations) from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

S. Tung