Description of two new species of <i>Hemiphyllodactylus</i> (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from karst landscapes in Yunnan, China, highlights complex conservation needs

Ade Prasetyo Agung; Ada Chornelia; L. Lee Grismer; Jesse L. Grismer; Evan S. H. Quah; Jian-Mei Lu; Kyle W. Tomlinson; Alice C. Hughes

doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.105

Volume 43 Issue 5

Sep. 2022

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Ade Prasetyo Agung, Ada Chornelia, L. Lee Grismer, Jesse L. Grismer, Evan S. H. Quah, Jian-Mei Lu, Kyle W. Tomlinson, Alice C. Hughes. Description of two new species of Hemiphyllodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from karst landscapes in Yunnan, China, highlights complex conservation needs. Zoological Research, 2022, 43(5): 767-786. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.105

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Ade Prasetyo Agung, Ada Chornelia, L. Lee Grismer, Jesse L. Grismer, Evan S. H. Quah, Jian-Mei Lu, Kyle W. Tomlinson, Alice C. Hughes. Description of two new species of Hemiphyllodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from karst landscapes in Yunnan, China, highlights complex conservation needs. Zoological Research, 2022, 43(5): 767-786. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.105

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Description of two new species of Hemiphyllodactylus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from karst landscapes in Yunnan, China, highlights complex conservation needs

doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.105

1.
Landscape Ecology Group, Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
2.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
3.
Herpetology Laboratory, Department of Biology, La Sierra University, Riverside, California 92515, USA
4.
Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 88400, Malaysia
5.
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117377, Singapore
6.
Community Ecology and Conservation Group, Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
7.
School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China

Funds: This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1602265, Mapping Karst Biodiversity in Yunnan), Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (XDA20050202), High-End Foreign Experts Program of Yunnan Province (Y9YN021B01, Yunnan Bioacoustic Monitoring Program), CAS 135 Program (2017XTBG-T03), and Chinese Academy of Sciences Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Center Fund (Y4ZK111B01).

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Corresponding author: E-mail: prasetyo.ade22@gmail.com; ach_conservation2@hotmail.com
Received Date: 2022-06-13
Accepted Date: 2022-08-11

Published Online: 2022-08-12

Publish Date: 2022-09-18

Abstract

Abstract

Karst habitats are hotspots of diversity and endemism. Their naturally fragmented distributions across broad geographic landscapes have led to the complex array of smaller evolutionary ecosystems that present unique challenges from a conservation perspective. Comprehensive biodiversity assessments of karst habitats have revealed that these ecosystems contain an almost unparalleled level of endemism, and many site-restricted species remain undescribed, thus posing considerable challenges for effective conservation management. Small rock-dwelling species, such as geckos, may be particularly prone to such isolation. In this paper, we discuss one such genus, i.e., Hemiphyllodactylus, and explore its diversity across karst landforms in Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Based on morphological and genetic data, we describe two new species of Hemiphyllodactylus from karst habitats in Simao District and Yanshan County. A phylogenetic tree for Hemiphyllodactylus was constructed using 1 039 base pairs (bp) of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (ND2). The Simao and Yanshan specimens can be distinguished from all other congeners within their respective subclades based on uncorrected genetic pairwise distances greater than 6.3% and 4.3% respectively, as well as significant morphological differences. The discovery and description of these two new species brings the total number of described Hemiphyllodactylus species in China to 14 and indicates many more undescribed species from unsurveyed karst regions await discovery. Our findings suggest that karst ecosystems in Yunnan support a higher diversity of Hemiphyllodactylus than previously known. This study also highlights the importance of karst ecosystems as refugia for site-specific endemic species and the need for heightened conservation efforts.
- Discovery,
- Endemism,
- Geckos,
- Reptiles,
- South China

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References(67)

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