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Issue: Vol. 5666 No. 3: 29 Jul. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-07-29
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5666.3.2
Page range: 342-360
Abstract views: 109
PDF downloaded: 6

A new species of Hemiphyllodactylus (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from southeast Yunnan, China

Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China; Southwest Forestry University; Kunming; Yunnan 650224; China; Kunming Institute of Zoology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming; Yunnan 650201; China
Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China; Southwest Forestry University; Kunming; Yunnan 650224; China
Key Laboratory for Forest Resources Conservation and Utilization in the Southwest Mountains of China; Southwest Forestry University; Kunming; Yunnan 650224; China
School of Biological Science and Technology; Liupanshui Normal University; Liupanshui; Guizhou 553004; China
Kunming Institute of Zoology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming; Yunnan 650201; China
Kunming Institute of Zoology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming; Yunnan 650201; China
Kunming Institute of Zoology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming; Yunnan 650201; China; Kunming Natural History Museum of Zoology; Kunming Institute of Zoology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming; Yunnan 650223; China
Kunming Institute of Zoology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Kunming; Yunnan 650201; China
Reptilia guangnan County Hemiphyllodactylus guangnanensis sp. nov. integrative taxonomy molecular phylogeny slender gecko

Abstract

Hemiphyllodactylus species in clade 6 of Agung et al. (2022) have distributions spanning Vietnam, Thailand, and China. Numerous new species have been described in the recent past. An integrated taxonomic analysis was conducted on populations in Guangnan County, southeastern Yunnan Province. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on mitochondrial ND2 sequences indicated that this population belongs to clade 6 and is most closely related to the recently described Hemiphyllodactylus yanshanensis, from which it is separated by a geographical distance of only 80 kilometers. Furthermore, evidence from morphological characteristics, color pattern and haplotypes of ND2 and C-mos suggest that it represents a new species. Here, we describe it as a new species and discuss the potential existence of numerous cryptic species among populations of Hemiphyllodactylus in Vietnam, Thailand, and China, noting that medicinal use is one of the potential threats to members of this genus.

 

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How to Cite

Zhou, H., Ang, Y., Cui, L., Zhang, D., Shen, Z., Li, X., Liu, S. & Rao, D. (2025) A new species of Hemiphyllodactylus (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from southeast Yunnan, China. Zootaxa, 5666 (3), 342–360. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5666.3.2