Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum, Yang, Jian-Huan & Chan, Bosco Pui-Lok, 2015

Yang, Jian-Huan & Chan, Bosco Pui-Lok, 2015, Two new species of the genus Goniurosaurus (Squamata: Sauria: Eublepharidae) from southern China, Zootaxa 3980 (1), pp. 67-80 : 68-73

Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum sp. nov.

Figs. 1–2 , 5

Holotype. KFBG 14032, adult male, from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China; exact locality withheld; available to qualified researchers upon request. Collected on 18 May 2014 by J.H. Yang.

Paratypes. Four paratypes: one adult male KFBG 14031; one adult female KFBG 14033; one sub-adult male KFBG 14034; one juvenile male KFBG 14035; data identical to the holotype. Coordinates and other standard collecting information were recorded for each type and kept in the KFBG herpetological collection catalog.

Diagnosis. Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum sp. nov. can be distinguished from other congeners by a combination of the following characters: relatively greater SVL (112.0–118.0 mm in adults); nuchal loop wide, posteriorly protracted; three wide nearly immaculate body bands between limbs insertions, bordered by wide dark bands anteriorly and posteriorly; ground color mottled in adults; dark brown spots on lateral belly; mental shield with a dark blotch; iris blood red in juvenile, orange red in sub-adult, and a remarkable olive green in adults; enlarged supraorbital tubercles present; axillary pockets deep; internasals two; eight or nine nasal scales surrounding naris; 47–55 eyelid fringe scales; 9–11 supralabials, nine infralabials; 124–132 midbody scale rows; 26–28 precloacal pores in males; claws sheathed by four scales, lateral two long and curved; one or two postcloacal tubercles.

Description of holotype. KFBG 14032, adult male; SVL 118.0 mm; TaL (regenerated) 69.5 mm; AG 55.6 mm; SE 12.4 mm; EE 10.9 mm; HW 20.4 mm; HH 12.8 mm; HL 30.5 mm; SVL: AG 2.12; SVL: HL 3.87; HL: HW 1.50; HL: HH 2.38; SE: EE 1.14; head triangular, wider than neck, covered with uniform granular scales interspersed with tubercles in the temporal and occipital regions; scales of rostrum slightly larger and flatter than between orbits; conspicuous row of enlarged supraorbital tubercles; rostral wider than height, middorsal portion of rostral partially sutured dorsomedially, bordered laterally by first supralabial and prenasal, dorsolaterally by supranasal, and dorsally by two internasals; internasals about the same size as scales behind them; external nares bordered by eight nasals each: anteriorly by prenasal, dorsally by supranasal and one granular scale, posteriorly by four smaller granular scales, and ventrally by the prenasal and one smaller granular scale; prenasals with long recurved ventral portion; supranasals triangular, separated by two internasals; supralabials 10/11, grading into granular scales posteriorly; eyes relatively large, pupils vertical; eyelid fringe scales 53/52, those of upper eyelid enlarged; outer surface of upper eyelid composed of granular scales about the same size of those on top of head; a fold of skin originating in the suborbital region extends posteroventrally across the angle of the jaw; external auditory meatus elliptical with long axis directed dorsoventrally; tympanum deeply recessed; mental triangular, bordered laterally by first infralabial and posteriorly by five postmentals; postmentals bordered by 11 gular scales; infralabials nine / nine, grading posteriorly into smaller scales; gular scales juxtaposed and granular, abruptly grading posteriorly into flat hexagonal pectoral scales and even larger ventral scales. Neck narrower than body, covered with uniform granular scales interspersed with conical tubercles on nape; tubercles on flanks conical, those of vertebral region somewhat lower in profile; body tubercles not increasing in size posteriorly, grading into somewhat more pointed caudal tubercles; dorsal body tubercles surrounded by 11–13 granular scales (usually 12); 23 dorsal tubercle rows at midbody; 34 paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, distinct vertebral row of scales absent. Body relatively long and thin, covered with granular scales grading ventrally into larger hexagonal flattened subimbricate ventral scales; 124 scales around midbody; larger ventral scales grade abruptly into smaller granular scales immediately anterior to the vent at the level of the precloacal pores; 26 precloacal pores in a continuous transverse series extending on to the basal portion of the thighs; region posterior to vent covered with flat juxtaposed scales and greatly swollen, containing one enlarged postcloacal tubercle laterally on each side at the level of the vent. Limbs relatively long and thin, covered dorsally with granular scales interspersed with several tubercles and ventrally with flat, juxtaposed to subimbricate scales; dorsal granular scales grade into slightly flattened subimbricate scales on top of pes and manus; tubercles present on top of pes, lacking on top of manus; hind limbs slightly larger than forelimbs; larger granular scales on ventral surfaces of pes and manus; deep axillary pockets present; subdigital lamellae wide, 11/10 on first finger, 19/18 on fourth finger, as well as 11/11 on first toe, 21/22 on fourth toe; digits laterally compressed, increasing in length from first to fourth, fifth shorter than fourth; base of claws sheathed by four scales, two lateral scales long and curbed. Tail regenerated; narrow at base with four whorls, abruptly thickening posteriorly, and gradually narrowing to the tip; the third caudal whorl eight scale rows in width, containing six sharply pointed conical tubercles in a transverse row; dorsal granular scales larger in regenerated portion of tail and 2–4 times the size of dorsal body scales; subcaudals flat, smooth, larger than dorsal caudals, imbricate at whorl, posteriorly juxtaposed.

Coloration in life. Dorsal ground color of head, body and limbs greyish lilac and mottled with irregularly shaped dark brown blotches; iris olive green, somewhat yellowish near pupil; wide posteriorly protracted nuchal loop, somewhat posteriorly inflected, anterior ends inserting on lower eyelids, edged dorsally and ventrally in wide dark brown; four wide nearly immaculate body bands, three on body between limb insertions, and another one on tail base, all edged anteriorly and posteriorly by wide dark brown bands; the nuchal loop and four body bands nearly same color as ground color but somewhat brighter yellow; infralabials and sublabials cream-colored with few dark brown spots; ventral surfaces of head, body and limbs dull white and nearly immaculate except for few dark brown spots on lateral throat, limbs and lateral belly and a dark brown blotch present in the mental shield; ground color of the regenerated tail dark brown, one immaculate caudal band not completely encircling the tail, followed by irregularly shaped white markings ( Fig. 1 ).

Variation. For measurements and scalation data of the type series see Table 1 . All male types have 26–28 distinct precloacal pores, absent in the female paratype KFBG 14033; postcloacal tubercle distinctly enlarged in male types, relatively smaller in the female paratype; internasals about the same size of those behind them in KFBG 14031–32, 14034, but larger in KFBG 14033 and 14035. Both adult paratypes KFBG 14031 and 14033 largely match the coloration of the holotype. The sub-adult paratype KFBG 14034 has a more lilac ground color and orange nuchal loop and body bands; the juvenile paratype KFBG 14035 has a grey-purple immaculate ground color, light orange nuchal loop and body bands, and an immaculate venter. Only the juvenile paratype KFBG 14035 has an original tail that is cylindrical and posteriorly gradually narrowing to the tip, with seven immaculate white bands, white caudal bands are complete ventrally except for the first. Iris color is olive green in all three adult types, whereas it is orange red in the subadult paratype KFBG 14034, and blood red in the juvenile paratype KFBG 14035 ( Fig. 2 ).

Comparison. Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum sp. nov. distinctly differs from all other known species of the genus Goniurosaurus by having an olive green iris in adults as opposed to an ivory, yellow, orange or blood-red iris.

* Regenerated tail.

It differs from the G. k u ro i w a e species group by having an enlarged row of supraorbital tubercles (versus absent in the kuroiwae group), having deep axillary pockets (versus absent in the kuroiwae group), having the nuchal loop posteriorly protracted and lying on the nape of the neck (versus nuchal loop round posteriorly and on the occiput in the kuroiwae group), having 26–28 precloacal pores (versus lacking precloacal pores in the kuroiwae group), having claws sheathed by four scales (versus claws unsheathed in the kuroiwae group) and a different coloration; it differs from the G. lichtenfelderi group ( G. lichtenfelderi and G. hainanensis ) by having an enlarged row of supraorbital tubercles (versus absent in the lichtenfelderi group), deep axillary pockets (versus no such pockets in the lichtenfelderi group), having the nuchal loop posteriorly protracted and lying on the nape of the neck (versus nuchal loop round posteriorly and on the occiput in the lichtenfelderi group), having three transverse bands between axilla and groin (versus two in the lichtenfelderi group) and a different coloration; it differs from G. yingdeensis and G. zhelongi by having the nuchal loop posteriorly protracted (versus round posteriorly in yingdeensis and zhelongi ), having lateral scales of claw sheaths long and curved (versus short and conchoidal in yingdeensis and zhelongi ), 26–28 precloacal pores (versus 10–13 precloacal pores in yingdeensis , 9 in zhelongi ) and a different coloration.

By having a posteriorly protracted nuchal loop and deep axillary pockets, G. kadoorieorum sp. nov. can be placed in the G. luii species group (comprising G. araneus , G. bawanglingensis , G. catbaensis , G. huuliensis , G. liboensis and G. luii ). G. kadoorieorum sp. nov. differs from these six species by having enlarged row of supraorbital tubercles (versus absent in bawanglingensis ), tubercles between orbits present (versus absent in araneus , catbaensis and huuliensis ), two internasals (versus internasal one in huuliensis , lacking in catbaensis ); granular scales of upper eyelid equal in size to those on the top of head (versus one-half the size in araneus and luii ); 26–28 precloacal pores (versus 18–23 in araneus , 37–46 in bawanglingensis , 16–21 in catbaensis , 23 in liboensis ), infralabials and sublabials mottled (versus immaculate in araneus and bawanglingensis ), dark spot on mental scale present (versus absent in araneus , bawanglingensis and liboensis ), body bands much wider (versus relatively narrow in bawanglingensis , catbaensis , huuliensis , liboensis and luii ), body bands nearly immaculate (versus mottled with dark spotting in bawanglingensis ), adult ground color mottled (versus nearly immaculate in araneus ), lateral spotting on belly present (versus absent in araneus , bawanglingensis and liboensis ), and a remarkable olive green iris in adults (versus orange, brown or red in these six species).

Etymology. The new species, “ kadoorieorum ”, is named in honour of the Kadoorie brothers, Sir Horace and Lord Lawrence, from Hong Kong, for their life-long support to biodiversity research and conservation in the region. As a common name we suggest “Kadoories’ Cave Gecko”.

Natural history and distribution. Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum sp. nov. is currently only known from its type locality in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. The new species appears to be a nocturnal karst specialist; all individuals were found amongst limestone rocks in karst forest at night.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Holotype of Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum sp. nov., KFBG 14032 in life: A: dorsal view of body and tail; B: dorsal view of snout tip; C: ventral view of chin; D: lateral view of the head; E: precloacal region.

FIGURE 2. Goniurosaurus kadooireorum sp. nov.: A: sub-adult male paratype, KFBG 14034; B: juvenile male paratype, KFBG 14035.

FIGURE 5. The six known species of the Goniurosaurus luii species group from China. A: a female individual of G. kwangsiensis sp. nov. from Guangxi; B: paratype KFBG 140334 of G. kadoorieorum sp. nov. from Guangxi; C: adult female of G. araneus from Guangxi; D: subadult male of G. bawanglingensis from Hainan; E: adult female of G. luii from Guangxi; F: holotype SYS r 000218 of G. liboensis from Guizhou.

Tables

TABLE 1. Measurements (in mm) and scalation characters of the type specimens of Goniurosaurus kadoorieorum sp. nov. (Abbreviations defined in text).

	Holotype	Paratypes
	KFBG 14032	KFBG 14031	KFBG 14033	KFBG 14034	KFBG 14035
Sex	Adult male	Adult male	Adult female	Sub-adult male	Juvenile male
SVL	118.0	112.5	116.0	106.0	68.9
TaL	69.5*	–	63.4*	–	59.8
AG	55.6	54.5	54.3	51.6	30.5
HL	30.5	29.2	29.5	26.6	18.3
HW	20.4	21.0	19.8	17.7	12.5
HH	12.8	13.3	12.3	11.5	8.3
SE	12.4	12.6	12.4	11.4	7.6
EE	10.9	10.1	10.6	9.4	6.5
SVL:TaL	–	–	–	–	1.15
SVL:HL	3.87	3.85	3.93	3.98	3.77
SVL:AG	2.12	2.06	2.14	2.05	2.26
HL:HW	1.50	1.39	1.49	1.50	1.46
SE:EE	1.14	1.25	1.17	1.21	1.17
SPL	10/11	10/11	10/10	11/10	10/10
IFL	9/9	9/9	9/9	9/9	9/9
N	7/6	6/6	6/6	6/6	6/7
IN	2	2	2	2	2
PostIN	3	5	6	3	9
PM	5	5	5	5	4
GP	11	10	11	8	8
PO	17/16	16/15	16/17	18/19	16/17
CIL	53/52	48/47	51/54	52/55	51/54
MB	124	130	132	131	129
GST	11–13	11–13	11–13	11–13	11–13
TL	34	30	32	33	34
DTR	23	22	24	23	24
LF1	11/10	10/10	10/10	10/10	11/10
LF4	19/18	17/17	19/17	17/18	18/18
LT1	11/11	11/10	10/10	11/11	10/11
LT4	21/22	23/21	23/22	23/24	22/22
PP	26	26	absent	28	27
PAT	1/1	1/1	2/1	1/2	2/2