A New Cyrtodactylus Species (Reptila: Gekkonidae) from Nan Province, Northern Thailand

Abstract

Here, a new species of bent-toed gecko, Cyrtodact ylus phukhaensis sp. nov., is described from Doi Phu Kha, Nan province, Thailand based on molecular and morphological evidence. A phylogeny based on NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) and its flanking tRNAs places the new species in the chauquangensis group as a sister taxon to C yrtodact ylus wayakonei. The new species can be differentiated from other members of the chauquangensis group by having a unique combination of 7 or 8 supralabials, 23–28 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles, 8–10 infralabials, 9 femoral pores, 7 precloacal pores, 40–47 ventral scales, and a lack of bands crossing the temporal area. In addition, results from a chromosome study of C. phukhaensis sp. nov. showed that the new species has a diploid chromosome number of 40 with a fundamental number of 46. The formula of the karyotype was as follows: 2n (40) = 2m + 4sm + 34t. Our findings suggest that further studies of Cyrtodactylus biodiversity in northern Thailand are needed.