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| Cyrtodactylus dayangbuntingensis |
Abstract
A new species of limestone karst-adapted gecko of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex, Cyrtodactylus dayangbuntingensis sp. nov., is described from Dayang Bunting Island of the Langkawi Archipelago off the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the third species of the group to be described from the archipelago after C. langkawiensis and C. macrotuberculatus. The new species can be distinguished from all other species of Cyrtodactylus based on molecular evidence from the mitochondrial gene ND2 and its flanking tRNAs as well as having unique combinations of morphological and color pattern characteristics. This discovery underscores the need for continued surveys of the many islands in the archipelago to properly ascertain its true herpetological diversity.
Keywords: Reptilia, Integrative taxonomy, phylogeny, molecular systematics, karst, island, conservation
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Type series of Cyrtodactylus dayangbuntingensis sp. nov. from Dayang Bunting Island, Langkawi archipelago, Kedah.
(A) Holotype (LSUHC 14353). (B) Paratype (LSUHC 14354). (C) Paratype (LSUHC 14355).
Photographs by Evan Quah.
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Cyrtodactylus dayangbuntingensis sp. nov.
Dayang Bunting Island Bent-toed Gecko
Etymology. The specific epithet dayangbuntingensis is in reference to the type locality of this species on Dayang Bunting Island of the Langkawi Archipelago, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia.
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| (A) Juvenile Cyrtodactylus dayangbuntingensis sp. nov. photographed on Dayang Bunting Island, Langkawi archipelago, Kedah. Photograph by M.A. Muin. (B) Karst microhabitat of C. dayangbuntingensis sp. nov. on Dayang Bunting Island, Langkawi archipelago, Kedah. Photograph by Evan Quah. |
Natural history. Cyrtodactylus dayangbuntingensis sp. nov. is a karst-associated species that is only found in close proximity of karst outcrops (Fig. 7B). The holotype (LUSHC 14353) was found under a karst overhang at night approximately 1 m above the ground while the male paratype (LSUHC 14354) was found approximately 1.5 m above the ground on the trunk of a tree that was growing next to and in contact with a karst wall. The female paratype (LSUHC 14355) was found on the ground under a karst overhang. Another adult specimen was observed hiding in a narrow vertical karst crevice 2 m above the ground. A juvenile ( Fig. 7A) was photographed on 17 October 2015 and indicates breeding may take place during the latter half of the year. Other species of geckos observed on the karst were Cnemaspis sp. and Gehyra mutilata (ESHQ per. obs.).
Evan S. H. Quah, L. Lee Grismer, Perry L. Wood, Jr. and Shahrul Anuar Mohd Sah. 2019. The Discovery and Description of A New Species of Bent-toed Gecko of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Langkawi Archipelago, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. Zootaxa. 4668(1); 51–75. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4668.1.3
