ART. 3 CHINESE LIZAEDS OF GENUS GEKKO STE JNEGER 7 



1925. Gekko subpalmatus? Stejnewex, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 66, art. 25, 

 p. 36 (part: Foochow, Fukien ; U. S. N. M. No. 65379; A. de C. Sowerby, 

 collector) (not of Giinther). 



1929. Gekko semilignum Gee, Peking Soc. Nat. Hist. Bull., vol. 4, pt. 2, p. 57 

 (emendation; Hainan). ^ 



In my previous paper * I referred to a specimen in the National 

 Museum (No. 65379) as follows: 



Among Sowerby's Fukien material there is also a gecko collected by him at 

 Foochow. As far as the web of the feet is concerned, it is a typical Q. 

 Hubpalmatus, but the back is regularly covered with small though distinct 

 tubercles, and the median chin shields are rather well developed. * * * i am 

 therefore strongly inclined to the belief that the tubercles of the Sowerby 

 specimen are the result of admixture of G. japonicus blood. 



Since writing the above, Malcolm Smith's description of his new 

 species from Hainan came to hand, and apparently my suggestion of 

 the hybrid origin of the Fukien specimen became negatived, since 

 the latter agrees point for point with the description of Malcolm 

 Smith's specimen. Gekko similignum is characterized by having the 

 back with about 10 irregularly disposed longitudinal rows of en- 

 larged, rounded tubercle; the fingers one-third webbed, toes a little 

 more ; 17 preanal pores ; 12 to 14 lamellae under fourth finger and a 

 single large tubercle on either side of the base of the tail. 



The Foochow specimen has a web between the fingers at their 

 base, though not so conspicuous as that between the toes, agreeing in 

 both respects with G. semipalTnatus. Whether the fingers may be 

 characterized as " one-third webbed " is perhaps doubtful, but such 

 comparisons are quite vague, and a more definite description imprac- 

 ticable. It has 23 preanal pores in a continuous series ; 13 lamellae 

 under fourth fingers and toes; the tubercles on the back can hardly 

 be said to form series, but there are about 10 in a line across the 

 sides and back; the tubercle at the base of the tail is large and single 

 as in G. suhpalmatus. 



The combination of tubercles on back with webbing between fin- 

 gers and toes, and the high number of preanal pores, which normally 

 varies between 4 and 11 in the other Chinese geckos of the same 

 genus, seemed to indicate that we had to do with a distinct form, 

 extending from Hainan north into Fukien. The relationships to 

 G. palTnatus from Tonking may not be made clear until a male of 

 the latter is obtained. 



Recalling that Boettger, in 1885 and 1888, had recorded two speci- 

 mens from Kwangtung under the name of Gecko japonicus, but 

 with 22 and 19 preanal pores, respectively, while the normal num- 

 ber of pores in that species varies between 4 and 11, and also that 

 the type of Gray's Gecko chinensis in the British Museum was based 



*Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 66, art. 25, 1925, p. 36. 



