A new species of karst-adapted gecko (Squamata, Gekkonidae, Gekko) from Guangxi, southern China

By

Huang, Zhong
Wang, Hao-Tian
Qi, Shuo
Song, Han-Ming
Huang, Yong
Wang, Ying-Yong
Mo, Yun Ming

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-7-15

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1245

Pages

289--310

Subjects

G. liboensis , Gekko fengshanensis sp. nov. , Guangxi , integrative taxonomy , Japonigekko , South China Karst

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1245.153769

 

Abstract

A new species of the genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768, Gekko fengshanensissp. nov., is described based on six specimens from Fengshan County, Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It is placed into the subgenus Japonigekko based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses, and distinguished from consubgeners of Japonigekko by a combination of morphological characters in body size, cephalic proportions, and pholidosis features. Molecular phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial 16S and ND2 sequences reveal that G. fengshanensis sp. nov. forms a sister relationship with G. kwangsiensis, collectively forming a clade with G. liboensis and G. paucituberculatus endemic to southern China’s karst ecosystems. This discovery increases the number of recognized Gekko species in the South China Karst to five, underscoring the role that fragmented karst landscapes play in driving speciation and maintaining high levels of biodiversity in this unique ecosystem.