Goniurosaurus kwangsiensis Yang & Chan, 2015, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Yang, Jian-Huan
name: Chan, Bosco Pui-Lok
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Reptilia
Squamata
Eublepharidae
Goniurosaurus
Goniurosaurus kwangsiensis

description: Goniurosaurus kwangsiensis sp. nov.
Figs. 3–5
Holotype. KFBG 14052, adult male, from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China; exact locality withheld; available to qualified researchers upon request. Collected on 5 July 2013 by J.H. Yang.
Paratypes. Three paratypes: two adult females KFBG 14050–51; one adult male KFBG 14053; 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 kwangsiensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from other congeners by a combination of following characters: medium body size (SVL 97.6–109.1 mm in adults); nuchal loop narrow, posteriorly protracted; three narrow 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 absent; mental shield immaculate; iris light orange yellow; supraorbital tubercles slightly enlarged; axillary pockets deep; internasals one or two (usually one); eight or nine nasal scales surrounding naris; 52–58 eyelid fringe scales; 8–10 supralabials, 7–9 infralabials; 122–128 midbody scale rows; 31–33 distinct precloacal pores in males; claws sheathed by four scales, lateral two long and curved; one or two postcloacal tubercles (usually two).
Description of holotype. KFBG 14052, adult male; SVL 104.9 mm; TaL 92.8 mm; AG 46.8 mm; SE 11.2 mm; EE 8.7 mm; HW 19.2 mm; HH 11.5 mm; HL 27.3 mm; SVL: AG 2.24; SVL: HL 3.84; HL: HW 1.42; SE: EE 1.29; 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 slightly enlarged supraorbital tubercles; rostral wider than high, middorsal portion of rostral partially sutured dorsomedially, bordered laterally by first supralabial and prenasal, dorsolaterally by supranasal, and dorsally by one small internasal; internasal about the same size as scales behind them; external nares bordered by eight nasals each: anteriorly by prenasal, dorsally by supranasal and one granular scales, 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 one internasal; supralabials 9/10, grading into granular scales posteriorly; eyes relatively large, pupils vertical; eyelid fringe scales 55/53, 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 three postmentals; postmentals bordered by nine gular scales; infralabials 7/8, 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 11); 22 dorsal tubercle rows at midbody; 27 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; 128 scales around midbody; larger ventral scales grade abruptly into smaller granular scales immediately anterior to the vent at the level of the precloacal pores; 31 precloacal pores in a continuous transverse series extending on to the base of the thighs; region posterior to vent covered with flat juxtaposed scales and greatly swollen, containing two enlarged postcloacal tubercles 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; axillary pockets deep; subdigital lamellae wide, 10/10 on first finger, 18/19 on fourth finger, 11/12 on first toe, 24/23 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 curved. The original tail long and thin, thickest at base, anteriorly with whorls, posteriorly gradually narrowing to the tip; the third caudal whorl eight scale rows in width, incorporating four sharply pointed conical tubercles in a transverse row; dorsal granular scales of tail flat, smooth, about twice the size of dorsal body scales, arranged in more or less transverse rows; subcaudals flat, smooth, larger than dorsal caudals, imbricate at whorl, posteriorly juxtaposed.
Coloration in life. Dorsal ground color of head, body and limbs yellowish brown and mottled with irregularly shaped dark brown blotches; iris orange yellow; narrow slightly posteriorly protracted nuchal loop, anterior ends terminating at corners of mouth, edged dorsally and ventrally by wide dark brown margin; four narrow, 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 light yellow; infralabials and supralabials dull white with few dark brown spots; ventral surfaces of head, body and limbs dull white and nearly immaculate except for few indistinct dark brown spots on limbs and lateral throat; mental shield immaculate; ground color of the original tail dark brown with five immaculate white caudal bands completely encircling the tail, and a white tip (Fig. 3).
Variation. For measurements and scalation data of the type series see Table 2. All three adult paratypes largely match the overall scalation and coloration characters of the holotype. Both two male types have 26–27 distinct precloacal pores, whereas precloacal pores are present but indistinct in two female types; postcloacal tubercle distinctly enlarged in males, relatively smaller in females; internasal usually single, two in the paratype 14053. A sub-adult female individual was recorded (not captured) during the survey. It had a paler ground color, fewer dark spots or blotches on body, and dark blotches on dorsum of head somewhat smaller and more rounded than in adults (Fig. 4).
Comparison. Goniurosaurus kwangsiensis sp. nov. 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 no such pockets in the kuroiwae group), having 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 31–33 precloacal pores (versus lacking precloacal pores in the kuroiwae group), having claws are sheathed by four scales (versus claws unsheathed in the kuroiwae group) and a different coloration; it differs from the G. lichtenfelderi species group (G. lichtenfelderi and G. hainanensis) by having an enlarged row of supraorbital tubercles (versus absent in the lichtenfelderi group), having 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 lichtenfelderi group) and a different coloration; it differs from G. yingdeensis and G. zhelongi by having 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), 32 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. kwangsiensis sp. nov. can be placed in the G. luii species group (comprising G. araneus, G. bawanglingensis, G. catbaensis, G. huuliensis, G. kadoorieorum sp. nov., G. liboensis and G. luii). Goniurosaurus kwangsiensis sp. nov. differs from these seven species by having an enlarged row of supraorbital tubercles (versus absent in bawanglingensis), tubercles between orbits present (versus absent in araneus, catbaensis and huuliensis), one (rarely two) internasal (versus internasal lacking in catbaensis, two in kadoorieorum and two or three in liboensis), granular scales of upper eyelid equal in size of those on the top of head (versus one-half the size in araneus and luii), 31–33 precloacal pores (versus 18–23 in araneus, 37–46 in bawanglingensis, 16–21 in catbaensis, 25–28 in huuliensis, 26–28 in kadoorieorum, 23 in liboensis and 23–29 in luii), infralabials and supralabials mottled (versus immaculate in bawanglingensis), dark blotch on mental shield absent (versus present in huuliensis, kadoorieorum and luii), body bands narrow (versus relatively wider in araneus and kadoorieorum), body bands immaculate (versus mottled with dark spotting in bawanglingensis), adult ground color mottled (versus nearly immaculate in araneus), lateral spotting on belly absent (versus present in catbaensis, huuliensis, kadoorieorum and luii), and iris orange yellow in adults (versus brown in araneus, red brown in huuliensis, and olive green in kadoorieorum).
* Regenerated tail.
Etymology. The specific epithet “ kwangsiensis ” is named after its type locality, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (Kwangsi is the former official name of Guangxi). For the common name, we suggest “Guangxi Cave Gecko”.
Natural history and distribution. Specimens of the new species were found in karst forest at night. A total of nine individuals were found including four adult females, four adult males and one sub-adult; four were collected and assigned as the type series. A gravid adult female containing three well-developed eggs was among the nine seen but not collected. Three eggshells, most likely of G. kwangsiensis sp. nov., were also found in a rock crevice. Sympatric herpetofauna recorded in the locality during the survey included Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider), King Cobra Ophiophagus Hannah (Cantor), and White-spotted Slug Snake Pareas margaricophorus (Jan).
description: Published as part of Yang, Jian-Huan & Chan, Bosco Pui-Lok, 2015, Two new species of the genus Goniurosaurus (Squamata: Sauria: Eublepharidae) from southern China, pp. 67-80 in Zootaxa 3980 (1) on pages 73-76, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3980.1.4, http://zenodo.org/record/289003