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Issue: Vol. 5633 No. 2: 12 May 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-05-12
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5633.2.1
Page range: 201-243
Abstract views: 97
PDF downloaded: 3

Descriptions of three new species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Hainan Island, China

Institute of Herpetology; Shenyang Normal University; Shenyang 110034; China.; School of Life Sciences/ School of Ecology; Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou 510275; China.
Guangxi Eco-engineering Vocational and Technical College; Liuzhou 545003; China.
Chengdu Institute of Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chengdu; Sichuan 610040; China.
College of Fishery; Tianjin Agriculture University; Tianjin 300384; China.
Bawangling Branch of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration; Changjiang 572700; China.
College of Design and Engineering; National University of Singapore; 119077; Singapore.
CAS Key Laboratory of Mountain Ecological Restoration and Bioresource Utilization/ Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province; Chengdu Institute of Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chengdu 610040; China.
Institute of Herpetology; Shenyang Normal University; Shenyang 110034; China.; School of Life Sciences/ School of Ecology; Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou 510275; China.
School of Life Sciences/ School of Ecology; Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou 510275; China.
Independent Researcher; Beijing 100094; China.
Hainan Shangxi Provincial Nature Reserve; Wanning 571500; China.
School of Science; Qiongtai Normal University; Haikou 571127; China.
School of Science; Qiongtai Normal University; Haikou 571127; China.
Wildlife Conservation Administration of Hainan Province; Haikou 570203; China.
Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park Administration Haikou 570203; China.
Chengdu Institute of Biology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chengdu; Sichuan 610040; China.
Institute of Herpetology; Shenyang Normal University; Shenyang 110034; China.
School of Life Sciences/ School of Ecology; Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou 510275; China.
Reptilia Hemiphyllodactylus diaoluoshanensis sp. nov. H. jianfenglingensis sp. nov. H. lingshuiensis sp. nov. slender geckos southern China taxonomy

Abstract

Three new species of the gekkonid lizard genus Hemiphyllodactylus are described from Hainan Island, China, based on morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based the ND2 gene. This brings the total number of the known species from one to four, revealing the previously underestimated diversity of Hainan’s herpetofauna. The three new species, along with Hemiphyllodactylus typus, are placed into three different clades, suggesting multiple colonization events and independent evolutionary histories of the genus on Hainan Island. The known distribution of H. typus was further expanded in this study, and its current status on this island was examined, highlighting the cryptogenic nature of the species with unclear native and introduced ranges. These findings emphasize the need for detailed molecular studies using sensitive genetic markers and extensive geographical sampling to clarify its origins.

 

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How to Cite

Wang, H.-T., Yu, F.-B., Zheng, P.-Y., Zhang, H.-Y., Qi, X.-M., Jiang, Z.-X., Li, M.-L., Qi, S., Song, H.-M., Yang, H.-C., Huang, M.-H., Li, G.-Y., Wang, W., Wang, S.-L., Mo, Y.-N., Xie, F., Li, P.-P. & Wang, Y.-Y. (2025) Descriptions of three new species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Hainan Island, China. Zootaxa, 5633 (2), 201–243. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5633.2.1