ABSTRACT
An integrative taxonomic analysis of newly discovered populations of Hemiphyllodactylus from Indochina recovered a new species from Peninsular Thailand and two others from Laos. The new Thai species, Hemiphyllodactylus pardalis sp. nov. described herein, is the sister species to all other species in the newly designated Indochina clade and has a unique spotted contrasting dorsal pattern not seen in any other species of Hemiphyllodactylus. This, along with its elongate and gracile body morphology, renders it remarkably convergent on the Philippine gecko Pseudogekko smaragdinus despite the fact it is deeply nested within Hemiphyllodactylus. The description of this new species underscores the depauperate nature of Hemiphyllodactylus diversity throughout Indochina in general and Thailand in particular compared to neighboring upland areas of Myanmar and Peninsular Malaysia. This especially underscores the need for continued herpetofaunal field surveys in montane areas of western Thailand.
Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Lizards , Animals , Philippines , Phylogeny , ThailandABSTRACT
An integrative taxonomic analysis recovered the new species Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. of the C. siamensis group as the sister species to C. punctatonuchalis. The new species was discovered in mountain evergreen tropical forests of in Suan Phueng District of Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand. Additionally, the analysis recovered a deep genetic divergence between northern and southern clades within the C. siamensis group that occur on opposite sides of the Isthmus of Kra-a well-known biogeographic region of cladogenic turnover. The description of C. selenolagus sp. nov. brings the total number of species of Cnemaspis in Thailand to 16, 11 of which compose the C. siamensis group-a lineage endemic to the Thai-Malay Peninsula. This underscores the physiographic complexity of this narrow peninsula in that it can support a large number of closely related species in only the northern two-thirds of its length.
Subject(s)
Ecosystem , Lizards , Animals , Forests , ThailandABSTRACT
We describe a new species of the genus Leptobrachium from the Khao Laem Mountain, Suan Phung District, Ratchaburi Province, Tenasserim Region, western Thailand, based on molecular and morphological evidences. The new species, Leptobrachium tenasserimense sp. nov., can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) adult SVL of 41.4-58.8 mm in males and 54.7-58.6 mm in females; (2) rounded finger and toe tips; (3) relative finger lengths: II
