Goniurosaurus kwanghua Zhu & He, 2020

Zhu, Xiao-Yu, Shen, Chu-Ze, Liu, Yun-Fei, Chen, Lin, Li, Zheng & He, Zhu-Qing, 2020, A new species of Goniurosaurus from Hainan Island, China based on molecular and morphological data (Squamata: Sauria: Eublepharidae), Zootaxa 4772 (2), pp. 349-360 : 353-357

Goniurosaurus kwanghua Zhu & He sp. nov.

( Figs. 1 A–B, 3, 4)

Holotype. ECNU-V0003 , adult male, from western area, Hainan Island , China, 750 m in altitude; exact locality withheld because of conservation concerns, available to qualified researchers upon request. Collected in August, 2018 by Zhu Xiao-Yu & He Zhu-Qing.

Paratypes. One adult male ECNU-V0059 ; two adult females ECNU-V0004 and ECNU-V0005 , one juvenile ECNU-V0035 , same data as holotype .

Diagnosis. Goniurosaurus kwanghua sp. nov. differs from other congeners by a combination of the following characters: moderate size (SVL 87.9–93.0 mm in adults); limbs relatively short and robust; three body bands with two between limb insertions. There are no obvious differences in measurements or scale counts between the new species and G. hainanensis or G. lichtenfelderi ( Table 3). The color pattern can be used to distinguish these spe- cies with the new species having the following characteristics: nuchal loop wide posteriorly protracted, body bands wider with dark markings, yellow stripe present on posterior side of humerus and femur, linked with the first and third body bands, respectively, body and caudal bands in dark markings ( Table 4).

and from G. lichtenfelderi .

Description. Holotype. ECNU-V0003, adult male; SVL: 89.7 mm; TaL (regenerated): 40.5 mm; AG: 38.3 mm; SE 10.1 mm; EE: 10.9 mm; HW: 16.9 mm; HL: 25.6 mm; SVL: AG 2.34; SVL: HL: 3.50; HL: HW 1.51; SE: EE: 0.93; head triangular, wider than neck, covered with uniform granular scales interspersed with tubercles in the temporal and occipital regions; conspicuous row of enlarged supraorbital tubercles; rostral wider than high, middorsal portion of rostral partially sutured dorsomedially, bordered laterally by first supralabial and prenasal, dorsolaterally by supranasal; external nares bordered by nine nasals each: anteriorly by prenasal, dorsally by supranasal and two granular scales, posteriorly by five smaller granular scales; prenasals with long recurved ventral portion; supranasals in contact in in the midline; supralabials 8/8, rectangular and grading into longer scales posteriorly; eyes relatively large, pupils vertical; eyelid fringe scales 49/47; 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 with two sharp scales in front; mental triangular, bordered laterally by first infralabial and posteriorly by three postmentals; postmentals bordered by six gular scales; infralabials rectangular, 8/7. Neck narrower than body, covered with uniform granular scales interspersed with conical tubercles on nape; dorsal body tubercles surrounded by 11–12 granular scales; 21 dorsal tubercle rows at midbody; 25 paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, distinct vertebral row of scales absent. Body long and thin, covered with granular scales grading ventrally into larger flattened subimbricate ventral scales; 109 scales around midbody; larger ventral scales grade abruptly into smaller granular scales immediately anterior to the vent, at the level of the precloacal pores; 28 precloacal pores in a continuous transverse series extending on to the basal portion of the thighs; two enlarged postcloacal tubercles laterally on each side at the level of the vent. Limbs relatively short and robust compared with other Goniurosaurus spp., covered dorsally with granular scales interspersed with several tubercles and ventrally with flat, juxtaposed to subimbricate scales; hind limbs larger and longer than forelimbs; deep axillary pockets present; subdigital lamellae wide, 8 on first finger, 14 on fourth finger, 9/9 on first toe, 19/19 on fourth toe. Tail regenerated and gradually narrowing to the tip.

Coloration in life. Dorsal ground color of head, body and limbs grey and mottled with irregularly large connected brown blotches; iris blood red; nuchal loop yellow and protracted medially, three wide body bands with two between limb insertions, and another one on tail base; the nuchal loop and three body bands are nearly the same color with dark markings, dark markings sometimes absent on nuchal loop; ventral surfaces of head, body and limbs dull white; one yellow spot on front side of hind femur (ECNU-V0059, V0003, and V0005), but absent in ECNU-V0004, and V0030; tail: brown with five dull white bands, brown markings in the first three bands (by ECNU-V0059); regenerated tail: irregular black and grey markings.

Variation. Measurements and scalation data of the type series are provided in Table 5. Paratypes of adults largely match the overall scalation and coloration characters of the holotype. Two paratypes ( ECNU-V0004 & ECNU-V0005 ) have one internasal, bordering by two scales posteriorly. Paratype ECNU-V0059 has one internasal, bordered by three scales posteriorly ( Fig. 3B ). Two postcloacal tubercles on each side in the holotype but only one in two paratypes ( ECNU-V0004 and ECNU-V0005 ). In paratype ECNU-V0059 , the number of precloacal pores is 26 ( Fig. 3D ). In juvenile ( ECNU-V0035 ), the nuchal loop and body bands are immaculate ( Fig. 1B ) .

Comparisons. Goniurosaurus kwanghua sp. nov. is similar to G. hainanensis and G. lichtenfelderi in having three body bands. This character is unique among Goniurosaurus spp. from China and Vietnam. In comparison to G. hainanensis , the nuchal loop of the new species is protracted posteriorly, yielding a greater relative width in the middle of the band. Body bands of the new species contained three to five tubercles longitudinally, whereas in G. hainanensis , body bands rarely include more than three tubercles longitudinally. Yellow stripes are found on the posterior side of humerus and femur in the juvenile ( Fig. 3 G–H), but are indistinct in adults ( Figs. 1A , 5), while these characters are absent in adults and juveniles of G. hainanensis .

Distribution and Life History. Goniurosaurus kwanghua sp. nov. is only known from western Hainan Island, China, where they were found at 750 m. It is not clear whether they can live at higher elevations. In contrast, at lower elevations, G. bawanglingensis was found. G. bawanglingensis was found in association with granites, while G. kwanghua was not found in any specific habitat based on our limited sampling. Some individuals were found on limestone with crevices at night ( Fig. 1H ). Occasionally individuals were found on the road or in drains beside the road.

Etymology. The specific epithet kwanghua is a noun in apposition and refers to Kwang Hua University (1925– 1951) in Shanghai, the predecessor of East China Normal University, which has made outstanding contributions to Chinese zoological sciences. For the common name, we suggest “Kwanghua Cave Gecko”.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Goniurosaurus spp. from Hainan Island. A-B. G. kwanghua sp. nov., adult (ECNU-V0059) and juvenile (ECNU- V0035); C-D. G. hainanensis, adult and juvenile; E. G. zhoui, adult; F. G. bawanglingensis, adult; G. G. lichtenfelderi, adult; H. Karst environment where G. kwanghua sp. nov. was collected. Photos A, F, and G by Zhu Xiao-Yu, photos B, C, D, E, and H by He Zhu-Qing.

FIGURE 3. Goniurosaurus kwanghua sp. nov. A-D (ECNU-V0059). (A), Scalation and coloration characters of the head, (B) dorsal view of the snout tip, (C) ventral view of the chin, and (D) the precloacal region of adult male. Scalation of (E) manus and (F) pes, respectively. G-H (ECNU-V0035), showing stripes on limbs linking with body bands.