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Type: Article
Published: 2020-04-06
Page range: 530–542
Abstract views: 91
PDF downloaded: 3

A new species of Dixonius (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the karst forest of Khammouane Province, central Laos

­Faculty of Forest Resources and Environmental Management, Vietnam National University of Forestry, Xuan Mai, Chuong My, Hanoi, Vietnam.
­Faculty of Forest Resources and Environmental Management, Vietnam National University of Forestry, Xuan Mai, Chuong My, Hanoi, Vietnam. Faculty of Forestry, National University of Laos, Dong Dok Campus, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
Faculty of Biology, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 334 Nguyen Trai Road, Hanoi, Vietnam. Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hanoi, Vietnam
Faculty of Forest Resources and Environmental Management, Vietnam National University of Forestry, Xuan Mai, Chuong My, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam. Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi, Vietnam
Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hanoi, Vietnam Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, 334 Nguyen Trai Road, Hanoi, Vietnam. Department of Herpetology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, New York 10024
AG Zoologischer Garten Köln, Riehler Strasse 173, D–50735 Cologne, Germany. Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Strasse 47b, D–50674 Cologne, Germany
Reptilia Dixonius lao sp. nov. Khammouane Province morphology phylogeny taxonomy

Abstract

A new species of Dixonius is described on the basis of three specimens from the karst forests around Thakhek town, Khammouane Province, Laos. The new species from Laos can be distinguished from other species of Dixonius based on molecular and morphological divergences. It is characterized by a maximum SVL of 55.4 mm; 20–23 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body; 23–24 longitudinal rows of ventrals across the abdomen; 8–10 supralabials, 7 or 8 in mid-orbital position; 7 or 8 infralabials; 8 precloacal pores in male; the male without femoral pores; precloacal and femoral pores absent in females; uniformly pebble brown dorsum. In phylogenetic analyses, the new species is shown to be the sister taxon to two undescribed taxa from Thailand but differs by at least 8.6% in genetic pairwise distance from the latter based on the complete sequences of the mitochondrial ND2 gene with partial or complete sequences of six adjacent tRNAs. This is the ninth known species of Dixonius, and the second recorded species from Laos.

 

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