A new species of Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata; Gekkonidae) from the Thai Highlands with a discussion on the evolution of habitat preference

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4852 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-427
Author(s):  
L. LEE GRISMER ◽  
ATTAPOL RUJIRAWAN ◽  
KORKHWAN TERMPRAYOON ◽  
NATEE AMPAI ◽  
SIRIPORN YODTHONG ◽  
...  

A new gekkonid lizard, Cyrtodactylus maelanoi sp. nov., from Mae Hong Son Province of the Thai Highlands is described using an integrative taxonomic analysis based on morphology, color pattern, and the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) and its flanking tRNAs. Phylogenetic analyses place the new species within clade 1 of the C. sinyineensis group and as the sister species to C. inthanon with an uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence of 3.9%. Collection data gathered in the field indicate that C. maelanoi sp. nov. is a habitat generalist. Reconstruction of the ancestral habitat preference for the C. sinyineensis group by way of stochasitc character mapping (SCM) indicates that karstic environments were the ancestral condition out of which the general habitat preference of the ancestor of C. maelanoi sp. nov. and C. inthanon and that of C. amphipetreaus and C. doisuthep evolved three times independently. Additionally, SCM demonstrated that the evolution of a granitic habitat preference from a karst-adapted ancestor happened in C. aequalis. The discovery of a new upland species in the Thai Highlands brings into focus the understudied nature of the mountain systems of western Thailand and the need for their continued exploration and conservation. 

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4838 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-209
Author(s):  
SIRIWADEE CHOMDEJ ◽  
CHATMONGKON SUWANNAPOOM ◽  
PARINYA PAWANGKHANANT ◽  
WARANEE PRADIT ◽  
ROMAN A. NAZAROV ◽  
...  

A new species of Cyrtodactylus from Tak Province, Thailand, Cyrtodactylus amphipetraeus sp. nov., is described using an integrative taxonomic analysis based on morphology, color pattern, and the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2). The phylogenetic analyses place the new species within the C. sinyineensis group which was previously thought to be endemic to the Salween Basin in southern Myanmar. The phylogeny also places C. inthanon in the C. sinyneensis group which is expanded herein to also include the group’s sister species C. doisuthep. Along with C. amphipetraeus sp. nov., these are the first three species of the C. sinyineensis group to be found outside of Myanmar east of the Tenasserim Mountains. The Tenasserim Mountain region is discussed as an area of cladogeneic turnover. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 723-746
Author(s):  
L. Lee Grismer ◽  
Chatmongkon Suwannapoom ◽  
Parinya Pawangkhanant ◽  
Roman A. Nazarov ◽  
Platon V. Yushchenko ◽  
...  

The first integrative taxonomic analysis of the Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus group of Southeast Asia recovered two newly discovered populations from the Tenasserim Mountains in Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand as a new species described here as C. rukhadeva sp. nov. Based on 1397 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2), C. rukhadeva sp. nov. is the well-supported sister species to a clade containing three undescribed species, C. ngati, and C. cf. interdigitalis with a large uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence from other species in the brevipalmatus group ranging from 15.4–22.1%. Cyrtodactylus elok and C. brevipalmatus are recovered as poorly supported sister species and the well-supported sister lineage to the remainder of the brevipalmatus group. Cyrtodactylus rukhadeva sp. nov. is putatively diagnosable on the basis of a number of meristic characters and easily separated from the remaining species of the brevipalmatus group by a number of discrete morphological characters as well as its statistically significant wide separation in multivariate morphospace. The discovery of C. rukhadeva sp. nov. continues to underscore the unrealized herpetological diversity in the upland forests of the Tenasserim Mountains and that additional field work will undoubtedly result in the discovery of additional new species.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4624 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. LEE GRISMER ◽  
PERRY L. JR. WOOD ◽  
EVAN S. H. QUAH ◽  
MYINT KYAW THURA ◽  
JAMIE R. OAKS ◽  
...  

An integrative taxonomic analysis of the Cyrtodactylus linnwayensis group of the Shan Plateau recovered two new populations from isolated karst habitats near Pinlaung Town, Shan State as a new species, C. pinlaungensis sp. nov. Cyrtodactylus pinlaungensis sp. nov. is most closely related to a clade comprising C. linnwayensis and C. ywanganensis from the western edge of the Shan Plateau approximately 90 km to the northwest. Cyrtodactylus pinlaungensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all members of the C. linnwayensis group by a number of statistically different morphological characters, discrete color pattern differences, and its heavy tuberculation. It also bears an uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence of 5.0–7.6% from all other species combined based on the mitochondrial gene ND2 and its flanking tRNAs. The discovery of this new species on the Shan Plateau continues to underscore the fact that this region is rapidly emerging as a herpetological diversity hot-spot for Myanmar. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-148
Author(s):  
Shuo Liu ◽  
Mian Hou ◽  
Jian Wang ◽  
Natalia Borisovna Ananjeva ◽  
Dingqi Rao

We describe a new Diploderma species from Southern Yunnan Province, China. It is morphologically similar to D. chapaense, D. hamptoni, and D. yunnanense, but can be distinguished from these three species and all other congeners by its unique morphometric and meristic characters, color patterns and localized distribution range. Moreover, phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 sequence data also supports this point of view; the new species differs genetically from investigated congeners by percentage distance of 8.78 to 21.15%.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyatida Pimvichai ◽  
Henrik Enghoff ◽  
Somsak Panha ◽  
Thierry Backeljau

Pseudospirobolellidae is a poorly known family of spirobolidan millipedes with only two genera and five described species. Yet, the descriptive taxonomy and molecular systematics of this group have been largely neglected. Therefore, the present work presents an integrative taxonomic study of new pseudospirobolellid taxa in Thailand. To this end, two mitochondrial gene fragments (COI and 16S rRNA) combined with morphological characters were used to define the genus Coxobolellus, gen. nov. with 10 new species, viz. C. albiceps, sp. nov., C. compactogonus, sp. nov., C. fuscus, sp. nov., C. nodosus, sp. nov., C. serratus, sp. nov., C. simplex, sp. nov., C. tenebris, sp. nov., C. tigris, sp. nov., C. transversalis, sp. nov. and C. valvatus, sp. nov. The interspecific COI sequence divergences among the new species ranged from 6 to 15%. The intergeneric COI sequence divergence between species of Coxobolellus, gen. nov., Benoitolus birgitae and Pseudospirobolellus sp. ranged from 20 to 23%. Three major morphological differences separate Coxobolellus, gen. nov. from Benoitolus and Pseudospirobolellus, namely (1) the protruding process on the 3rd (and 4th) coxae on male legs, (2) the posterior gonopod telopodite divided into two parts, and (3) a conspicuous opening pore at the mesal margin at the end of the coxal part of the posterior gonopod. Thus, the new genus is well supported by both mtDNA and morphological evidence, while the delimitation of the 10 new species is supported by the congruence between mtDNA and morphological data. Yet, with respect to the relationships of Benoitolus birgitae, morphological data suggest a similarity with Coxobolellus, gen. nov. and Pseudospirobolellus, whereas mtDNA data place this species in the Pachybolidae. Further phylogenetic analyses are needed to explore this apparent incongruence and test the monophyly of Pseudospirobolellidae.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4514 (2) ◽  
pp. 202 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. LEE GRISMER ◽  
PERRY L. JR. WOOD ◽  
MYINT KYAW THURA ◽  
MARTA S. GRISMER ◽  
RAFE M. BROWN ◽  
...  

A molecular phylogenetic analysis of Parachute Geckos (Genus Ptychozoon Kuhl & van Hasselt, 1822) based on the mitochondrial gene ND2 indicates that a newly discovered population from the Mt. Popa volcano—a habitat island in the northern portion of the Bago Yoma mountains, Myanmar—is a new species, P. popaense sp. nov. This species is part of a clade that contains P. bannanense Wang, Wang, & Liu, 2016 and P. lionotum Annandale, 1905 of Indochina. Ptychozoon popaense sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to its sister species P. lionotum  which manifests considerable geographic substructuring of genetic variation but differs from the nominate taxon by an uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence of 16.0–17.1% and by discrete differences in morphology and color pattern. This discovery highlights the unique, insular nature of the Bago Yoma mountains of the Ayeyarwady Basin, which support other endemic gekkonids. It also underscores the growing diversity in this highly derived clade of cryptic, parachuting, geckos characterized by highly divergent genetic lineages, which may indicate the presence of additional, unrecognized species. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4718 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. LEE GRISMER ◽  
PERRY L. JR. WOOD ◽  
EVAN S. H. QUAH ◽  
MARTA S. GRISMER ◽  
MYINT KYAW THURA ◽  
...  

An integrative taxonomic analysis of the 10 species of the Cyrtodactylus sinyineensis group based on squamation, color pattern, and the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) and its flanking tRNA regions, recovered the newly discovered populations from Datt Kyaik and Taung Wine Hills in Kayin State as the new species Cyrtodactylus dattkyaikensis sp. nov. and C. taungwineensis sp. nov. The Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic estimates supported C. dattkyaikensis sp. nov. as the sister species of C. bayinnyiensis and C. taungwineensis sp. nov. as the sister species of C. sinyineensis. Each new species is differentially diagnosable from all other C. sinyineensis group species based on their morphological placement in multivariate space and several statistically significant mean differences is meristic squamation and color pattern data. The C. sinyineensis group ranges across an archipelago of karstic habitat-islands in the Salween Basin of southern Myanmar. The discovery of these new species continues to underscore the unprecedented high degree of diversity and site-specific endemism in this relatively small region and the urgent need for the conservation of its karstic terranes. 


PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5575 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Lee Grismer ◽  
Perry L. Wood ◽  
Evan S.H. Quah ◽  
Matthew L. Murdoch ◽  
Marta S. Grismer ◽  
...  

A phylogenetic taxonomy of species in the Cyrtodactylus peguensis group from the Ayeyarwady Basin of Myanmar is constructed based on color pattern, morphology, and molecular systematic analyses using the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2. Newly collected samples from the type locality of C. peguensis and other localities indicate that this clade is endemic to central Myanmar and contains at least seven species, four of which are undescribed. Three species, including C. peguensis occur in the low hills of the Bago Yoma Range within the central portion of the Ayeyarwady Basin. Two of these, C. myintkyawthurai sp. nov. from the northern and central Bago Yoma and C. meersi sp. nov. which is syntopic with C. peguensis in the southern Bago Yoma are described herein. As more lowland hilly areas bordering, and within the Ayeyarwady Basin are surveyed, more new species of this group are likely to be discovered. These discoveries continue the recent surge of descriptions of new species of Cyrtodactylus that are being discovered in Myanmar.


PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e2884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perry Lee Wood Jr ◽  
L. Lee Grismer ◽  
Anchalee Aowphol ◽  
César A. Aguilar ◽  
Micheal Cota ◽  
...  

Three new species of Rock GeckosCnemaspis lineogularissp. nov.,C. phangngaensissp. nov., andC. thachanaensissp. nov. of thechanthaburiensisandsiamensisgroups are described from the Thai portion of the Thai-Malay Peninsula. These new species are distinguished from all other species in their two respective groups based on a unique combination of morphological characteristics, which is further supported by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (ND2).Cnemaspis lineogularissp. nov. is differentiated from all other species in thechanthaburiensisgroup by having a smaller maximum SVL 38 mm, 13 paravertebral tubercles, enlarged femoral scales, no caudal bands, and a 19.5–23.0% pairwise sequence divergence (ND2).Cnemaspis phangngaensissp. nov. is differentiated from all other species in the siamensis group by having the unique combination of 10 infralabial scales, four continuous pore-bearing precloacal scales, paravertebral tubercles linearly arranged, lacking tubercles on the lower flanks, having ventrolateral caudal tubercles anteriorly present, caudal tubercles restricted to a single paraveterbral row on each side, a single median row of keeled subcaudals, and a 8.8–25.2% pairwise sequence divergence (ND2).Cnemaspis thachanaensissp. nov. is distinguished from all other species in the siamensis group by having 10 or 11 supralabial scales 9–11 infralabial scales, paravertebral tubercles linearly arranged, ventrolateral caudal tubercles anteriorly, caudal tubercles restricted to a single paravertebral row on each side, a single median row of keeled subcaudal scales, lacking a single enlarged subcaudal scale row, lacking postcloaclal tubercles in males, the presence of an enlarged submetatarsal scale at the base if the 1st toe, and a 13.4–28.8% pairwise sequence divergence (ND2). The new phylogenetic analyses placeC. punctatonuchalisandC. vandeventeriin the siamensis group withC. punctatonuchalisas the sister species toC. huaseesomandC. vandeventerias the sister species toC. siamensis, corroborating previous hypotheses based on morphology. The discovery of three new karst-dwelling endemics brings the total number of nominal ThaiCnemaspisspecies to 15 and underscores the need for continued field research in poorly known areas of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, especially those that are threatened and often overlooked as biodiversity hot spots.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4554 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW L. MURDOCH ◽  
L. LEE GRISMER ◽  
PERRY L. JR. WOOD ◽  
THY NEANG ◽  
NIKOLAY A. POYARKOV ◽  
...  

An integrative taxonomic analysis using color pattern, morphology, and 1449 base pairs of the ND2 mitochondrial gene and its five flanking tRNAs demonstrated that eight species-level lineages occur within the Cyrtodactylus intermedius complex (Cyrtodactylus intermedius sensu stricto, C. phuquocensis and related populations) of the Cardamom mountains and associated highlands that have a sequence divergence ranging 3.4–8.9%. Additionally, each lineage is discretely diagnosable from one another based on morphology and color pattern and most occur in specific geographic regions (upland areas, karst formations or islands) that prevent or greatly restrict interpopulation gene flow. Six of these lineages were masquerading under the nomen C. intermedius and are described as the following: Cyrtodactylus auralensis sp. nov. endemic to Phnom Aural, the highest mountain in Cambodia; C. bokorensis sp. nov. endemic to the Bokor Plateau, Cambodia; C. cardamomensis sp. nov. from the main block of the Cardamom mountains; C. thylacodactylus sp. nov. endemic to Phnom Dalai the northernmost peak of the Cardamom mountains; C. laangensis sp. nov. endemic to the Phnom Laang karst formation, Cambodia; and C. septimontium sp. nov. from the Bảy Núi Hills of southwest Vietnam. 


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document