New gecko unveiled in Vietnam

Published: 05/08/2009 05:00

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German, Russian and Vietnamese scientists have announced their discovery of a new gecko species in the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Ba Ria – Vung Tau, named Cyrtodactylus cattienensis Geissler, Nazarov, Orlov, Boehme, Phung, Nguyen & Ziegler, 2009.

The first specimen of this gecko was collected in the Cat Tien National Park, which covers the three provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Phuoc and Lam Dong. Other specimens were found in the Vinh Cuu Nature Reserve in Dong Nai and Dinh Mount in Ba Ria – Vung Tau.

The detailed description of this species was published on Zootaxa Magazine, issue 2161, 2009.

This is the fourth species of Cyrtodactylus belonging to the Cyrtodactylus irregularis complex family described in detail. The three others are named Cyrtodactylus irregularis (described by Smith in 1921), Cyrtodactylus pseudoquadrivirgatus (by Roesler and co-workers in 2008) and zig-lơ Cyrtodactylus ziegleri (bay Nazarov and co-workers in 2008).

This is the 18th species of Cyrtodactylus gecko found in Vietnam. For Dong Nai province, this is the second species of gecko discovered since 2008, besides Cyrtodactylus huynhi (described by Ngo & Bauer in 2008).

This discovery of the new gecko species in the Cat Tien National Park, the Vinh Cuu Nature Reserve and Dinh Mount supports the abundant biodiversity of southern Vietnam and provides more scientific data for the recognition of the Cat Tien National Park as a world natural heritage site.

Cyrtodactylus cattienensis is distinguished from the remaining Indochinese bent-toed geckos by a combination of the following characters: size small, with a maximum SVL of 69 mm; neck band present, extending to the posterior margin of the eye; trunk, tail and limbs bearing irregularly shaped bands: 4–6 light bands on trunk and 4–12 white bands on tail; 16–22 irregular longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles; 28–42 longitudinal rows of ventrals at midbody; lateral folds weakly developed or absent, without enlarged tubercles; tail not depressed, not enlarged at base, scales arranged in whorls; males with 6–8 precloacal pores in angular continuous series; a patch of enlarged precloacal scales present in both sexes; 3–8 slightly enlarged femoral scales on each hind limb in both sexes; femoral pores absent; precloacal groove absent; subcaudal scales small, not transversely enlarged.

VietNamNet/Tuoi Tre

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