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Issue: Vol. 5799 No. 3: 29 Apr. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-04-29
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5799.3.2
Page range: 446-468
Abstract views: 138
PDF downloaded: 5

Description of a new species of the subgenus Japonigekko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Gekko) from Yunnan, southwestern China

Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands; Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province; College of Life Sciences; Hainan Normal University; Haikou 571158; Hainan; China
School of Ecology; Sun Yat-sen University; Shenzhen 518107; Guangdong; China
School of Ecology; Sun Yat-sen University; Shenzhen 518107; Guangdong; China
State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture; Qinghai University; Xining 810016; Qinghai; China
Independent Researcher; Yuxi 653100; Yunnan; China
Herpetology Laboratory; Department of Biology; La Sierra University; Riverside 92515; California; USA; Department of Herpetology; San Diego Natural History Museum; PO Box 121390; San Diego 92112; California; USA
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Ecology of Tropical Islands; Key Laboratory of Tropical Animal and Plant Ecology of Hainan Province; College of Life Sciences; Hainan Normal University; Haikou 571158; Hainan; China
School of Life Sciences; Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou 510275; Guangdong; China
Gekko mosaicus sp. nov. integrative taxonomy morphology phylogenetic analyses Yuanjiang Reptilia

Abstract

We describe a new species, Gekko mosaicus sp. nov., from Yuanjiang, Yunnan, China, based on combined morphological and molecular evidence. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial 16S and ND2 genes recover the Yuanjiang population as a well-supported, independently evolving lineage within subgenus Japonigekko, although the deeper relationships remain uncertain because of low nodal support. Morphologically, the new species most closely resembles G. alpinus, G. jinjiangensis, and G. scabridus, but can be distinguished from all other congeners by its moderate body size, presence of conical tubercles on the head, body, and limbs, 17–19 continuous precloacal pores in males, and a distinctive dorsal pattern of dense black and white speckles. Ecologically, it inhabits humid monsoon evergreen broadleaf forests of the Yuanjiang River Basin, contrasting with the habitats of the three morphologically similar species mentioned above. The discovery of the new species increases the number of species in Japonigekko to 41, including 27 in China, and recent discoveries across southwestern China suggest that the diversity of this subgenus remains underestimated.

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How to Cite

Wang, H.-T., Qi, S., Song, H.-M., Deng, J.-D., Tao, L., Grismer, L.L., Wang, J.-C. & Wang, Y.-Y. (2026) Description of a new species of the subgenus Japonigekko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Gekko) from Yunnan, southwestern China. Zootaxa, 5799 (3), 446–468. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5799.3.2