Pseudogekko hungkag BROWN, MENESES, WOOD, FERNANDEZ, CUESTA, CLORES, TRACY, BUEHLER & SILER, 2020
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Pseudogekko hungkag
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Bicol Hollow-dwelling Forest Gecko |
| Synonym | Pseudogekko hungkag BROWN, MENESES, WOOD, FERNANDEZ, CUESTA, CLORES, TRACY, BUEHLER & SILER 2020 |
| Distribution | Philippines (Luzon) Type locality: regenerating secondary forest, near the peak of Mt. Jormahan, Barangay Cogon, Municipality of Irosin, Sorsogon Province, Luzon Island, Philippines (12.761168N, 124.003568E; in all cases, datum 1⁄4 WGS84; elevation 643 m above sea level [a.s.l.]) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. PNM 9864 (RMB Field No. 24085, formerly KU 346540), adult female, collected between 2200 and 2300 h on 5 August 2017, by CGM and E. Bondal. Paratypes.—KU 346539, 346542 (RMB 24082, 24090), two adult females, PNM 9865 (RMB 24081, formerly KU 346538), KU 346541 (RMB 24087; Fig. 4), two adult males, collected with the holotype, between 2200 and 2300 h, within 500 m of the site of holotype collection, but at slightly lower elevations (500–640 m a.s.l.). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Pseudogekko hungkag is diagnosed from all congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) body moderate, robust (all measurements in millimeters; males 1⁄4 SVL 42.0–45.5; females 1⁄4 42.0–52.1); (2) axilla– groin distance relatively short (males 1⁄4 21.7–24.4; females 1⁄4 24.7–27.3); (3) head (males 1⁄4 11.3–12.1; females 1⁄4 11.8– 13.8) and snout (males 1⁄4 4.6–5.2; females 1⁄4 4.9–5.7) short; (4) Finger-III scansors 11–13; (5) Toe-IV scansors 13–15; (6) supralabials 11–14; (7) infralabials 11–14; (8) circumorbitals 34–40; (9) paravertebrals 222–236; (10) ventrals 85–94; (11) enlarged precloacal pore-bearing scale series 13–14; (12) femorals undifferentiated; (13) postcloacals enlarged, in three prominent rows; (14) mental and postmentals small, undifferentiated (the latter juxtaposed); (15) transverse tail bands absent (adults, Sorsogon), or present (juvenile, Caramoan); (16) light, inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons present for full length of tail (n 1⁄4 8–10 in adults from Sorsogon; Fig. 4A,B), or limited to tail base (n 1⁄4 3 for the juvenile from Caramoan; Fig. 4C); (17) iris bright silver to gold, ring absent (Fig. 4A); (18) superciliaries not brightly colored. Comparisons. Pseudogekko hungkag is most closely related to the members of the P. brevipes complex (Fig. 7), so we focus primarily on comparisons to P. atiorum, P. brevipes, and P. sumiklab for the purpose of diagnosis (in all comparisons, values for P. hungkag are presented first). Pseudogekko hungkag can be distinguished from P. atiorum by having fewer supralabials (11–14 vs. 15–17) and ventrals (85–94 vs. 119–129), and by the absence (vs. presence) of a light interorbital band, presence (vs. indistinct or absent) of bold, light inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons, and presence (vs. absence) of cream to gold postorbital and labial spots. From P. brevipes the new species differs by having fewer infralabials (11–14 vs. 14–15) and ventrals (85–94 vs. 96– 117), more circumorbitals (36–40 vs. 33–35) and precloacals (13–14 vs. 12), and by the absence (vs. presence) of a light interorbital band, and presence (vs. indistinct or absent) of bold inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons. From P. sumiklab the new species differs by having fewer ventrals (85–94 vs. 106–109), and by the presence (vs. absence) of bold inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons. Although only body size (SVL) discretely differed in comparisons between P. hungkag (males 1⁄4 42.0–45.5; females 1⁄4 45–52.1) and P. brevipes (male 1⁄4 39.0; females 1⁄4 34.5–42.4), the new species generally is a heavy-bodied species, differing from P. atiorum, P. brevipes, and P. sumiklab by its robust (vs. slender, elongate) body shape (Fig. 4A,B vs. 7A), and differs further from P. sumiklab and P. brevipes by its relatively larger head length, and from P. sumiklab by its relatively larger head width and snout length (Tables 3 and 4). From all members of the P. compresicorpus complex (Fig. 7B), P. hungkag can be diagnosed by its relatively larger head width, and from P. punkaypinit and P. smaragdinus by its relatively larger head length (Table 4). The new species is further diagnosed from the distantly allopatric Mindanao Island species, P. chavacano, by its smaller body (SVL 42.0– 52.1 vs. 54.7–55.9 mm), fewer Finger-III scansors (11–12 vs. 15–16), Toe-IV scansors (13–15 vs. 17–20), supralabials (11– 12 vs. 15–16), infralabials (11–14 vs. 16–17), circumorbitals (36–40 vs. 46), ventrals (85–94 vs. 122–123), and precloacals (13–14 vs. 16). Additionally, the new species has more paravertebrals (222–235 vs. 195–197), and is further distinguished by the absence (vs. presence) of neon green limb spots, and presence of bold inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons (vs. simple transverse caudal bands). From P. compresicorpus (Fig. 7B), the new species differs by its smaller body (SVL 42.0–52.1 vs. 54.9–59.7 mm), fewer Finger-III scansors (11–12 vs. 15–17), Toe-IV scansors (13– 15 vs. 18–19) supralabials (11–12 vs. 16–17), ventrals (85–94 vs. 127–130), and by the absence of bright iris ring coloration (vs. presence, light blue) and presence (vs. absence) of bold inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons (Tables 3 and 4). Pseudogekko hungkag is further diagnosed from the allopatric Mindanao, Samar, and Leyte islands species P. ditoy and the Sibuyan Island endemic P. isapa by its smaller female body size (SVL 42.0–52.1 vs. 52.6 mm [P. ditoy], 63.4 [P. isapa]), axilla–groin distance (21.7–27.3 vs. 32.1–33.0 [P. isapa]), head length (11.3–13.3 vs. 9.3–9.6 [P. ditoy]), and fewer Finger-III scansors (11–13 vs. 14–15 [P. ditoy]), ToeIV scansors (13–15 vs. 16–17 [P. ditoy], 17 [P. isapa]), supralabials (11, 12 vs. 17, 20 [P. ditoy], 20, 21 [P. isapa]), infralabials (11–14 vs. 16–17 [P. ditoy], 17–19 [P. isapa]), ventrals (85–90 vs. 111–118 [P. ditoy], 135–141 [P. isapa]), circumorbitals (36–40 vs. 40–52 [P. ditoy], 50–54 [P. isapa]), precloacals (13–14 vs. 18 [P. ditoy], 15 [P. isapa]), paravertebrals (222–235 vs. 240–246 [P. ditoy], 240–246 [P. isapa]), and by the presence (vs. absence in both species) of bold inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons (Fig. 4A,B). Pseudogekko hungkag is further diagnosed from P. pungkaypinit by its smaller body size (SVL 42.0–52.1 vs. 75.2–75.3), axilla–groin distance (21.7–27.3 vs. 37.2–41.2), snout length (4.6–5.7 vs. 6.7–7.5), fewer Finger-III scansors (11–13 vs. 15–17), Toe-IV scansors (13–15 vs. 17–21), supralabials (11– 14 vs. 16–20), infralabials (11–14 vs. 17–19), circumorbitals (36–40 vs. 50–55), paravertebrals (222–235 vs. 265–280), ventrals (88–94 vs. 125–155), precloacals (13, 14 vs. 17–20), and by the presence (vs. absence) of bold inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons. Pseudogekko hungkag is diagnosed from P. smaragdinus by its smaller body size (SVL 42.0–52.1 vs. 50.2–64.3), fewer Finger-III scansors (11–13 vs. 15–18), Toe-IV scansors (13– 15 vs. 16–22), supralabials (11–14 vs. 16–19), infralabials (11–14 vs. 14–19), paravertebrals (222–235 vs. 241–252), ventrals (88–94 vs. 124–130), and precloacals (13, 14 vs. 32– 41 precloacofemorals), by its overall gray ground (vs. bright neon yellow to orange [undisturbed] to neon green [disturbed]) coloration, and by the presence of bold inverted Y-shaped caudal chevrons (vs. transverse dark/light caudal bands; Tables 3 and 4, Brown et al. 2020). |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | Named after the Tagalog (Filipino) adjective hungkag, meaning ‘‘hollow’’ or ‘‘empty,’’ and used in reference to the new species’ use of a unique microhabitat type: hollow cavities and crevices (hollow bamboo trunks/stems, cavities in tree branches, and other tube-shaped, or sheltered microhabitats). |
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