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| Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri Pham, Nguyen, Pham, Ngo & Le, 2026 |
Abstract
Based on morphological and molecular analyses, a new species of Hemiphyllodactylus is described from Son La Province, northern Vietnam. Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. differs from its sister taxon, a paraphyletic H. yunnanensis, and other members of the genus Hemiphyllodactylus by at least 14% in terms of genetic divergence based on a fragment of the ND2 mitochondrial gene and a combination of the following morphological characters: SVL of adult males 38.7–41.9 mm and adult females 47.0–49.3 mm; dorsal scale rows 21–27; ventral scale rows 12–16; chin scales bordering mental and first infralabial distinctly enlarged; digital lamellae formula 3444 (forefoot) and 4555/4 (hindfoot); femoral pores absent; precloacal pores 21–23 in males, absent in females; cloacal spur single, present in both sexes; dorsal trunk pattern yellowish grey; body with a discontinuous light dorsolateral stripe. Our discovery increases the number of species within the genus to 73.
Key words: Copia Nature Reserve, morphology, ND2 mitochondrial gene, northern Vietnam, taxonomy
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| The male holotype of Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. (HUS.2025.06) in life. A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view. Photos: Anh Van Pham. |
Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov.
Diagnosis. A bisexual taxon; SVL of adult males 38.7–41.9 mm, adult females 47.0–49.3 mm; dorsal scale rows 21–27; ventral scale rows 12–16; chin scales bordering mental and first infralabial distinctly enlarged; digital lamellae formula 3444 (forefoot) and 4555/4 (hindfoot);femoral and precloacal pores 21–23 in males, absent in females; cloacal spur single, present in both sexes; dorsal trunk pattern yellowish grey; body with a discontinuous light dorsolateral stripe.
Anh Van Pham, Truong Quang Nguyen, Cuong The Pham, Hanh Thi Ngo and Minh Duc Le. 2026. Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. (Squamata, Gekkonidae), A New karst-dwelling Gecko Species from Son La Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys. 1268: 75-94. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.174678 [04 Feb 2026]