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| Gekko asahi Matsukoji, Cao, Poyarkov, Okamiya, Xu & Yuan, 2026 |
Abstract
A remarkable new species of the subgenus Japonigekko from the islands of Gotō Nada and offshore islands of Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, inhabiting rocky coastal habitats, is described based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Morphologically, Gekko (Japonigekko) asahi sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by its moderate body size; interorbital scales between anterior corners of eyes 34–44; dorsal tubercles large, strongly elevated, and arranged in 12–16 rows at midbody; 127–158 midbody scale rows; 32–45 ventral scale rows; 158–189 ventral scales between the mental and the cloacal slit; subdigital lamellae 8–11 on finger I, 9–14 on finger IV, 9–12 on toe I, and 10–18 on toe IV; webbing absent; 6–9 precloacal pores in males, and absent in females; one postcloacal tubercle on each side, with the midpoint of the tubercle distinctly concave in some male individuals; and its distinctive dorsal coloration. Phylogenetically, the new species represents a distinct clade within the subgenus Japonigekko, forming a sister group with G. kaiyai from Henan Province of China, and together they cluster with G. hokouensis. It differs from its congeners by uncorrected p-distances of at least 15.1% in ND2 and 7.6% in 16S. Currently, the new species is known only from low-elevation coastal rocky shores and building walls on island of Gotō Nada and Nishisonogi Peninsula, Nagasaki Prefecture and offshore islands of Kagoshima and Satsuma Peninsula, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The discovery of this new species increases the total number of species in the subgenus Japonigekko to 40, of which seven species are distributed in Japan.
Key Words: Gekko asahi sp. nov., geographical isolation, Gotō Nada, morphology, molecular phylogeny, systematics
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| Coloration of Gekko asahi sp. nov. in life. A. Specimen TMR-208, adult female; B. Specimen TMR-96, adult female; C. Specimen SPMN-HP 003816, adult female, paratype; D. Specimen TMR-86, adult male; E. Specimen SPMN-HP 003813, adult male, paratype. Photographs by T. Matsukoji. |
Gekko asahi Matsukoji, Cao, Poyarkov, Okamiya, Xu & Yuan, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Gekko asahi sp. nov. can be diagnosed from other Japonigekko species by the following unique combination of characters: (1) a moderate body size (SVL reaches up to 73.85 mm in males and 73.96 mm in females); (2) 6–9 supralabials and 6–8 infralabials; (3) internasal scales absent; (4) two postmentals; (5) 14–18 preorbitals; (6) 34–44 interorbital scales; (7) 158–189 ventral scales between the mental and the cloacal slit; (8) 127–158 midbody scale rows; (9) 32–45 ventral scale rows; (10) prominent dorsal tubercles present from the posterior head through the neck to the anterior portion of the tail, arranged in 12–16 rows at midbody and numbering 17–23 tubercles along a longitudinal line on the dorsum between the limb insertions; (11) subdigital lamellae 8–11 on finger I, 9–14 on finger IV, 9–12 on toe I, and 10–18 on toe IV; (12) webbing absent; (13) 6–9 precloacal pores in males, absent in females; (14) one postcloacal tubercle on each side, with the midpoint of the tubercle distinctly concave in some male individuals; (15) in life, the dorsum is predominantly yellowish-gray, with 8–9 indistinct pale yellowish-brown rounded patterns, and venter is pale golden-yellow in color.
Etymology. The specific epithet “asahi” is treated as an indeclinable noun in apposition. It is derived from the Japanese word “朝日” (あさひ, asahi), meaning “morning sun” or “rising sun”. The name refers to the slightly faint yellow to light orange-red coloration present on the body and limbs, as well as the bright reddish yellow to pale golden-yellow coloration of the ventral surface of the new species, which resembles the warm hue of the early morning sunlight.
For the common names, we suggest “West Japanese Gecko” in English, “ニシヤモリ”(Nishi-yamori) in Japanese, “晨曦壁虎” (chén xī bì hǔ) in Chinese, and “Западнояпонский геккон” (Zapadnoyaponskiy gekkon) in Russian.
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| Habitat and field observations of Gekko asahi sp. nov. A. Macrohabitat of the new species in Nakadori Island, Shinkamigoto Town, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan; B. Microhabitat of the new species. Photographs by M. Tsujita. |
Tomoya Matsukoji, Jing Cao, Nikolay A. Poyarkov, Hisanori Okamiya, Yuhao Xu and Zhiyong Yuan. 2026. A New coastal Rock-dwelling Gecko of the Subgenus Japonigekko (Squamata, Gekkonidae, Gekko) from western Kyushu, Japan. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 102(2): 557-574. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.186960 [03 Apr 2026]
