Publication: A new insular species of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus group (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) from Tarutao Island, southern Thailand revealed by morphological and genetic evidence
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Issued Date
2021
Resource Type
Language
eng
File Type
application/pdf
ISSN
13132989
Other identifier(s)
2-s2.0-85122871411
Rights Holder(s)
Scopus
Bibliographic Citation
ZooKeys. Vol 1070, No. (2021), p.101-134
Suggested Citation
Termprayoon K., Rujirawan A., Ampai N., Wood P.L., Jr., Aowphol A. A new insular species of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus group (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) from Tarutao Island, southern Thailand revealed by morphological and genetic evidence. ZooKeys. Vol 1070, No. (2021), p.101-134. doi:10.3897/zookeys.1070.73659 Retrieved from: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14740/7925
Author(s)
Abstract
The bent-toed geckos of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus group are widely distributed along the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Although taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of this species group have been continuously conducted, only some populations from Thailand have been included, resulting in hidden diversity within this group. In this study, we used morphological and molecular data to clarify the taxonomic status and describe a new population from Tarutao Island, Satun Province, southern Thailand. Cyrtodactylus stellatus sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following morphological char-acters: body size; tuberculation; number of dark body bands, ventral scales, and femoroprecloacal pores in males; presence of precloacal pores in females; and scattered pattern on dorsum. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial ND2 gene recovered the new species as the sister species to C. astrum, with an uncor-rected pairwise divergence of 9.78–12.37%. Cyrtodactylus stellatus sp. nov. is currently only known from Tarutao Island, Thailand. The discovery of this species suggests that the diversity within the C. pulchellus group remains underestimated and future exploration of unsurveyed areas are needed to further the un-derstanding of this group and its geographic range. © Korkhwan Termprayoon et al.