A new species of Goniurosaurus (Sauria, Gekkota, Eublepharidae) from Guangxi, China

In recent years, with advances in field surveys and molecular biology research, many new species of Goniurosaurus have been discovered, enhancing our understanding of their diversity and distribution. In this study, we present an integrated analysis of morphological evidence and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data to describe a new species from Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China: Goniurosaurus wuzhengjuni sp. nov.

This species can be distinguished morphologically from its congeners by a specific combination of characteristics: (1) 23 precloacal pores in males; (2) a grayish-white dorsal ground color on the head, body, and limbs covered with dense, irregular black blotches; (3) seven nasal scales surrounding the nostril; and (4) 101–108 midbody scale rows. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that this species forms a monophyletic lineage sister to G. araneus within the G. luii group, as supported by mitochondrial cyt b and 16 S rRNA and nuclear C-mos gene sequences.

Uncorrected pairwise genetic distances based on mitochondrial cyt b sequences range from 8.7 % to 22.0 % compared with those of all previously known species.