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| Cyrtodactylus ngopensis Bohra, Zonunsanga, Das, Purkayastha, Biakzuala & Lalremsangae, 2022 |
ABSTRACT
A new species of Cyrtodactylus is described herein on the basis of morphological and phylogenetic evidence inferred from the mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydride dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene from Mizoram, Northeast India. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by an adult snout-vent length of 62.6–68.6 mm; 10–11 supralabials; 9–11 infralabials; dorsal tubercles rounded, conical to weakly keeled and in 19–20 longitudinal rows; 32–36 paravertebral tubercles between the level of axilla and groin; 32–39 mid-ventral scale rows across the ventral region; 6 precloacal pores in males and 0–6 precloacal pits in females; 14–18 subdigital lamellae under toe IV; no single row of transversely enlarged subcaudal scales; indistinct pattern of alternating dark brown blotches on the dorsum of the body. Morphologically and genetically, the new species is recovered as the sister species to C. aaronbaueri, but is genetically distinct by an uncorrected p-distance of 0.099–0.1, and morphologically in the number of precloacal pores, mid-ventral scale rows, paravertebral tubercles on the trunk, dorsal tubercle rows, dorsal spot, and subdigital lamellae on pes.
KEYWORDS: Cyrtodactylus, morphology, new species, Northeast India, phylogeny, taxonomy
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| Live specimens of Cyrtodactylus ngopensis sp. nov.: (a) holotype, MZMU2553; (b) paratype, MZMU2552; (c) paratype, MZMU2554; (d) paratype, MZMU2555; (e) paratype, MZMU2556; (f) uncollected individual. |
Cyrtodactylus ngopensis sp. nov.
Etymology: The species epithet is derived from the township of Ngopa in Champhai district of Mizoram State, from which the type specimens were collected.
Suggested common name: Ngopa bent-toed gecko
Sanath Chandra Bohra, Hmar Tlawmte Zonunsanga, Madhurima Das, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Lal Biakzuala and Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsangae. 2022. Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Data reveal Another New Species of Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus Gray: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Mizoram, India. Journal of Natural History. 56(41-44); 1585-1608. DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2022.2119178
