Goniurosaurus nebulozonatus KURITA & TODA, 2024
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Goniurosaurus nebulozonatus
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| Higher Taxa | Eublepharidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | Japanese: Yambaru Tokage-modoki |
| Synonym | Goniurosaurus nebulozonatus KURITA & TODA 2024 Eublepharis kuroiwae kuroiwae — NAKAMURA & UÉNO 1963 (in part) Amamisaurus kuroiwae — BÖRNER 1981 (in part) Goniurosaurus kuroiwae — GRISMER 1987 (in part) Goniurosaurus kuroiwae — OTA 1989 (in part) Goniurosaurus kuroiwae kuroiwae — GRISMER et al. 1994 (in part) Goniurosaurus kuroiwae kuroiwae — NAKAMURA et al. 2014 (in part) Goniurosaurus kuroiwae kuroiwae — HONDA et al., 2014 (N Okinawajima) Goniurosaurus kuroiwae kuroiwae — HONDA & OTA 2017 (N Okinawajima) Goniurosaurus kuroiwae — KURITA et al., 2018 (northern species) |
| Distribution | Japan (Okinawa: Okinawajima) Type locality: Oku, Kunigami Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa, Japan (locality [2] in Fig. 1; 26.83460° N, 128.28726° E in WGS84; 10 m above sea level. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: KUZ R88884 (Fig. 5), an adult male collected on 19 September 2020 by Takaki Kurita. Paratypes: KUZ R88885 from Benoki, Kunigami Vil., Kunigami Dist., Okinawa, Japan; OPM H1177, H1670 (two individuals), H1502596– H1502613 (formerly TPN 77050201– 77050204, 77052101, 77081804–77081812, 77081911, 77081912, 77082103, and 77082104), and H1502617 (formerly TPN 78042302) from Yona, Kunigami Vil., Kunigami Dist., Okinawa, Japan. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A moderate-sized Goniurosaurus gecko (ca. 75–95 mm SVL for adults). Goniurosaurus nebulozonatus, together with the other six extant species in the Central Ryukyus, is dis‐ tinguished from continental congeners in having unsheathed claws bordered by, in gen‐ eral, six short, unenlarged scales; in lacking deep axillary pockets; and no precloacal- femoral pores in males. Goniurosaurus nebulo‐ zonatus is distinguished from all other Ryukyu Goniurosaurus, except G. kuroiwae, in the combination of the following characters: snout–vent length over 93 mm in maximum [versus 83.5 mm in G. yamashinae and 82.1 mm in G. splendens (ca. <90% of G. nebulozonatus and G. kuroiwae)]; iris reddish brown (yellow ocher in G. orientalis and G. yamashinae); 8–12 scales bordering nasal (6–9 in G. orientalis); 4–7 postmentals (3–5 in G. sengokui, 2–4 in G. orientalis, and 2–4 in G. splendens); 7–11 post-postmentals (5–6 in G. splendens); 53–67 eyelid fringe scales (50–55 in G. orientalis); 11–13 scales around dorsal tubercles (10 in G. splendens); 21–27 mid- body tubercle rows (18–23 in G. splendens); 123–151 mid-body granular scales (110–135 in G. splendens); 24–29 paravertebral tubercles (18–24 in G. splendens); ventral scales enlarged, flat, and imbricate (strongly-raised and juxtaposed in G. splendens); 172–208 ven‐ trals (198–226 in G. splendens); 4–20 femur tubercle contacts (1–6 in G. orientalis and 0–4 in G. splendens); usually one most-enlarged scale on proximal portion of pes (two or more enlarged scales in G. sengokui, G. toyamai, and G. splendens, and no enlarged scales in G. yamashinae); MS-I present in significant por‐ tion of individuals (usually absent in G. yamashinae and G. toyamai, and absent or present as ground-color fading on vertebral line in G. splendens); 3–9 granular scales baring MS-I (8–11 in G. sengokui and if any 6–14 in G. yamashinae); nuchal loop usually absent or incomplete (usually complete in G. yamashinae, G. toyamai, and G. splendens); DB-I absent in most individuals (usually present in G. sengokui and G. orientalis, and mostly present in G. yamashinae and G. toyamai); DB-I or rudimentary patch on shoul‐ der usually separated more or less from fore‐ limb insertion by ground-colored space (connecting to forelimb insertion in G. toyamai and G. splendens); DB-IV not extending to femur (usually extending to femur in G. orien‐ talis, G. toyamai, and G. splendens); 4–7 DB-I scales if any (5–12 in G. sengokui, 7–20 in G. orientalis, 7–12 in G. yamashinae, 8–11 in G. toyamai, and 7–11 in G. splendens); narrow DBs-II–IV (broad in G. orientalis); and dif‐ fused edge of stripes/bands (usually sharp in G. yamashinae, G. toyamai, and G. splendens). Goniurosaurus nebulozonatus differs from G. kuroiwae in satisfying more than half of the following five character states: usually 10 or less tubercles contacts with each other in femur region (4–20 in G. nebulozonatus versus 6–37 in G. kuroiwae; Fig. 6); single most-enlarged scale on pes base (versus two or more most- enlarged scales; Fig. 7); MS-III absent (versus complete or incomplete); DB-III present (versus absent); and dorsal stripes/bands dif‐ fused (versus sharp; Fig. 8). In addition to these diagnostic keys, the new species differs from the Iejima population of G. kuroiwae in usually lacking DB-I (versus present) and, if present, DB I is narrow as six or fewer granu‐ lar scales baring it (4–7 in G. nebulozonatus versus 6–10 in G. kuroiwae); and often having four or fewer tubercles on the edge of DB-IV (0–8, often four or less in G. nebulozonatus versus 3–11, usually five or more in the Iejima G. kuroiwae; Fig. 9). The Okinawajima popu‐ lations of G. nebulozonatus is also distinguish‐ able from G. kuroiwae, except for the Iejima population, in satisfying more than half of five characters, of which three are the above men‐ tioned MS-III, DB-III, and diffusion of dorsal stripes/bands, and the remaining two are absence or incompleteness of MS-II (versus complete) and presence of DB-II (versus absent). This species differs from G. yunnu in showing less posteriorly extended maxillary shelf; lateral inclination of the lateral wall of the posterior part of maxilla; and vertical ante‐ rior parts of lateral prefrontal facets of frontal (Nakamura et al., 2014, Kurita & Toda 2024). |
| Comment | Synonymy: after Kurita & Toda 2024, see references there. Distribution: see map in Kurita & Toda 2024: 88 (Fig. 1) |
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