Gekko flavimaritus RUJIRAWAN, FONG & AOWPHOL, 2019
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Gekko flavimaritus
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Gekko flavimaritus RUJIRAWAN, FONG & AOWPHOL in RUJIRAWAN et al. 2019 Gekko (Sundagekko) flavimaritus — WOOD et al. 2019 Gekko (Lomatodactylus) flavimaritus — WOOD et al. 2020 |
| Distribution | Thailand (Phitsanulok) Type locality: Thailand, Phitsanulok Province, Neon Maprang District, Ban Mung Subdistrict, a karst hill part of the Phetchabun Range, 16.56398°N, 100.67318°E, elevation 104 m above sea level (asl). |
| Reproduction | Oviparous. All collected females in February 2018 (THNHM 28070–28071, ZMKU R 00752–00755) and one of five females in May (THNHM 28066) were gravid, having two eggs in their abdomens (externally visible). The smallest size of a mature female with eggs is 67.5 mm SVL (THNHM 28071). |
| Types | Holotype: ZMKU R 00750, adult male, collected on 17 February 2018, by Attapol Rujirawan, Siriporn Yodthong, Natee Ampai and Piyawan Puenprapai. Paratypes: Five adult males and 11 adult females. THNHM 28068–28069, ZMKU R 00751(three adult males) and THNHM 28070–28071, ZMKU R 00752–00755 (six adult females) have the same collection data as the holotype. ZMKU R 00747 (an adult female) has the same data as the holotype, except it was collected on 15 May 2017 by Anchalee Aowphol, Attapol Rujirawan, Korkhwan Termprayoon, Natee Ampai and Jonathan J. Fong. ZMKU R 00746, ZMKU R 00748 (two adult males) and THNHM 28065–28067, ZMKU R 00749 (four adult females), collected from Thailand, Phitsanulok Province, Neon Maprang District, Ban Mung Subdistrict, 16.56542°N, 100.69306°E, elevation 152 m asl, on 15 May 2017 by Anchalee Aowphol, Attapol Rujirawan, Korkhwan Termprayoon, Natee Ampai and Jonathan J. Fong. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: The new species can be assigned to the G. petricolus group and distinguished from its congeners by having the following combination of morphological characters: medium size for Gekko (SVL 76.0–84.5 mm in six adult males, 67.5–78.3 mm in 11 adult females); nares in contact with rostral; two enlarged postmentals; 12–16 dorsal tubercle rows; 27–35 ventral scale rows; 10–15 subdigital lamellae on first toe, 15–18 on fourth toe; finger and toe webbing weakly developed; tubercles absent on dorsal surface of forelimbs and hindlimbs; adult males with 7–8 precloacal pores, in continuous row; precloacal pores absent in females; single postcloacal tubercle on each side; tubercles present on dorsal surface of tail base; subcaudals enlarged; sexual dimorphism present (colouration on dorsum in life—yellow in adult males while brownish grey in adult females); dorsum with whitish vertebral blotches between nape and base of tail. Comparisons: Based on molecular analysis, its morphology and its distribution, G. flavimaritus sp. nov. was placed within the G. petricolus group. Gekko flavimaritus sp. nov. can be distinguished from the five other species groups (sensu Rösler et al. 2011; Luu et al. 2015, 2017) as follows: from the G. gecko group by having a smaller size with maximum SVL 84.5 mm (150.0–191.0 mm in G. gecko group), nostril touching rostral (no contact in G. gecko group except G. verreauxi), lacking tubercles on forelimb and hindlimbs (present in the G. gecko group); from the G. japonicus group (based on species that occur in Laos and Vietnam) by having 12–16 dorsal tubercles (absent in G. japonicus group), having tubercles on dorsal surface of tail (absent in G. japonicus group); from the G. monarchus group by having 7–8 precloacal pores in males (32–70 in G. monarchus group), lacking tubercles on forelimb and hindlimbs (present in G. monachus group); from the G. porosus group by having a smaller size with maximum SVL 84.5 mm (89.2–108.2 mm in G. porosus group), 7–8 precloacal pores in males (52–88 in G. porosus group), lacking tubercles on forelimb and hindlimbs (present in G. porosus group); from the G. vittatus group by having a smaller size with maximum SVL 84.5 mm (140 mm in G. vittatus group), 7–8 precloacal pores in males (14–58 in G. vittatus group), lacking tubercles on forelimb and hindlimbs (present in G. vittatus group), and lacking tubercles on lateral fold (present in G. vittatus group). There are nine known species in the G. petricolus group (sensu Rösler et al. 2011; Luu et al. 2015): G. boehmei, G. badenii, G. canaensis, G. grossmanni, G. lauhachindai, G. petricolus, G. russelltraini, G. takouensis and G. vietnamensis. The following details comparing these species are summarised in Table 6. Gekko flavimaritus sp. nov. differs from G. boehmei, G. badenii, G. canaensis, G. petricolus and G. takouensis by having a smaller body size with maximum SVL 84.5 mm (105.3 mm in G. boehmei, 108 mm in G. badenii, 108.5 mm in G. canaensis, 101.0 mm in G. petricolus and 107.0 mm in G. takouensis). Gekko flavimaritus sp. nov. differs from G. boehmei and G. petricolus by lacking tubercles on hind limbs (present in G. boehmei and G. petricolus). Gekko flavimaritus sp. nov. differs from G. grossmanni by having tubercles on the dorsal surface of the tail (absent in G. grossmanni). Gekko flavimaritus sp. nov. differs from G. boehmei, G. badenii, G. canaensis, G. lauhachindai, G. petricolus, G. takouensis and G. vietnamensis by having 7–8 precloacal pores in males (10–11 in G. boehmei, 10–18 in G. badenii, 14–18 in G. canaensis, 12–14 in G. lauhachindai, 9–11 in G. petricolus, 11–14 in G. takouensis and absent in G. vietnamensis). Gekko flavimaritus sp. nov. differs from G. badenii, G. canaensis, G. grossmanni, G. russelltraini and G. takouensis by having one postcloacal tubercle on each side (two in G. badenii, G. canaensis, G. grossmanni and G. russelltraini and 2–3 in G. takouensis). Gekko flavimaritus sp. nov. differs from G. boehmei, G. badenii, G. canaensis, G. grossmanni, G. lauhachindai, G. petricolus, G. russelltraini, G. takouensis and G. vietnamensis by having sexual dimorphism in ground colouration in life on the dorsum: yellow in adult males and brownish grey in adult females (absent in all these species). |
| Comment | Sympatry: Cyrtodactylus auribalteatus, Dixonius siamensis, Gekko gecko, and Hemidactylus frenatus. Group: G. petricolus group (Meesook et al. 2021). |
| Etymology | The specific epithet flavimaritus is taken from flavus L. for yellow and maritus L. for married man or husband, in reference to the adult males of the new species having yellow colouration on the dorsum in life. |
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