Hemiphyllodactylus lingshuiensis, Wang & Yu & Zheng & Zhang & Qi & Jiang & Li & Qi & Song & Yang & Huang & Li & Wang & Wang & Mo & Xie & Li & Wang, 2025

Hemiphyllodactylus lingshuiensis sp. nov. Wang, Qi, Yu, Song, Li and Wang

Figures 3C View FIGURE 3 , 4C View FIGURE 4 and 7 View FIGURE 7 , Table 6.

Holotype. SYS r002845, adult male, from Mt. Diaoluo , Lingshui Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province, China (18.7156°N, 109.8828°E; 515 m a.s.l.) collected on 13 February 2024 by Feng-Bin Yu. GoogleMaps

Etymology. The specific epithet “ lingshuiensis ” is a toponym referring to the type locality of Mt. Diaoluo, Lingshui Li Autonomous County, Hainan Island.

Common names. Lingshui Slender Gecko in English; and “kAE半叶DẼ (líng shǔi bàn yѐ zhǐ hǔ)” in Chinese.

Diagnosis. Hemiphyllodactylus lingshuiensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other congeners by a combination of the following morphological characters: a maximum SVL of 35.4 mm; six chin scales; enlarged postmentals; five circumnasal scales; two intersupranasals; eight or nine supralabials; nine or 10 infralabials; 18 longitudinally arranged dorsal scales at midbody contained within one eye diameter and 11 ventral scales; five or six subdigital lamellae on the first finger and five on the first toe; lamellar formulae (digits II–V) 4-5-5-5 on hands and 5-5-6-5 on feet; 23 continuous, pore-bearing, femoroprecloacal scales in the male; one cloacal spur on each side; no plate-like subcaudal scales; no dark-colored pre- and postorbital stripe extending to at least base of neck; dark reticulate pattern on dorsum; dorsolateral light-colored spots on trunk; no dark-colored ventrolateral stripe on trunk; light-colored postsacral marking variably bearing anteriorly projecting arms; and caecum and gonads unpigmented.

Description of holotype. Adult male, SVL 35.4 mm; head triangular in dorsal view, moderate size (HL/SVL 0.26), length longer than width (HW/HL 0.72), depressed, distinct from neck; snout rounded anteriorly, moderate in length (SN/HL 0.38); lores slightly concave; prefrontal region slightly convex; rostral regular rectangular, wider than mental, bordered posteriorly by first large supranasals; external nares oval, rounded by rostral, first supralabial, supranasal and two postnasal posteriorly (five circumnasals collectively); two intersupranasals; eye large (ED/HL 0.22), pupil vertical, margins crenulated; ear opening elliptical, obliquely orientated; eight or nine square supralabials tapering to below posterior margin of orbit; nine or 10 square infralabials tapering to below posterior margin of orbit; scales of rostrum and lores, raised; scales on top of head and occiput small, granular; superciliaries raised, rectangular; mental triangular, bordered laterally by first infralabials and posteriorly by two distinctly enlarged postmentals; 6 chin scales contacting the medial edge of the infralabials and mental from the juncture of the second and third infralabials on both sides; gular scales triangular, small, granular.

Body slender, elongate (AG/SVL 0.49), dorsoventrally compressed; dorsals smooth, round or oval, granular and juxtaposed, 18 scales contained within one eye diameter; ventrals distinctly larger than dorsal scales, flat, imbricate and largest in middle of belly, 11 scales contained within one eye diameter; precloacal scales notenlarged; pore-bearing precloacal scales continuous with pore-bearing femoral scales, totaling 23 pore-bearing femoroprecloacal scales.

Fore- and hind-limbs short, dorsal surface covered with smooth, granular scales and slightly larger, flat, subimbricate scales on ventral surface; all digits except digit I well-developed, clawed and robustly dilated distally; digit I vestigial, clawless with transversely expanded lamellae, five or six on first fingers and five on first toes; claws on digits II–V well developed, unsheathed; subdigital lamellae of digits II–V divided, angular and U-shaped; lamellae proximal to these transversely expanded, undivided; distal subdigital lamellar formula 4-5-5-5 (fingers II–V) and 5-5-6-5 (toes II–V); relative length fingers and toes I<II<III≈V<IV.

characters are in mm. For abbreviations see Materials and Methods. Tail slightly swollen at base, oval in section; caudal scales not occurring in whorls; dorsal caudal scales larger than dorsal body scales, flat, subcycloid, subimbricate; subcaudals slightly larger than dorsal caudals, not plate-like; one cloacal spur on each side.

Other raw mensural data and ratios are shown in Table 6.

Coloration in life. Ground color of top of head, body, and limbs dusky tan; no dark-colored loreal and postorbital stripe extending to at least base of neck; pupil black; iris yellowish brown with dark brown irregular thin veins; dark reticulate pattern on dorsum; no dorsolateral light-colored spots on trunk; some dark-colored spots scattered on dorsal head and limbs; dorsolateral light-colored spots on trunk; light brownish postsacral marking variably bearing anteriorly projecting arms; ventral surface of head, body and limbs pale white with tiny black spots; caecum and gonads unpigmented; the coloration of tail dorsum distinct from body, yellowish beige in general with some light bands not encircling tail with irregular dark edges; median subcaudal region bright orange.

Coloration in alcohol. In preservative, dorsal ground color of head, body, and limbs become darker; ventral surface grayish white; subcaudal faded to grayish white; dark spots on dorsal surface blurred.

Comparisons. The molecular analyses indicate that Hemiphyllodactylus lingshuiensis sp. nov. is embedded within the Indochina clade. The new species is compared with the other 15 species within this clade ( Table 8).

In terms of scalation, the new species differs from H. dupanglingensis , H. dushanensis , H. houaphanensis , H. huishuiensis , H. lungcuensis , H. nahangensis , H. pardalis , H. vanhonensis and H. yanshanensis by having fewer chin scales (6 versus>6); from H. banaensis , H. bonkowskii , H. dupanglingensis , H. dushanensis , H. hongkongensis , H. huishuiensis , H. kiziriani , H. lungcuensis , H. nahangensis , H. ngocsonensis and H. serpispecus by having more circumnasal scales (5 versus <5); from H. banaensis , H. nahangensis , H. ngocsonensis and H. pardalis by having fewer intersupranasals (2 vs>2); from H. dupanglingensis , H. dushanensis , H. hongkongensis , H. kiziriani , H. lungcuensis , H. nahangensis , H. ngocsonensis , H. pardalis and H. serpispecus by having fewer supralabials (8 or 9 versus>9); from H. bonkowskii , H. pardalis and H. serpispecus by having fewer dorsal scales contained within one eye diameter (18 versus>20); from H. dupanglingensis , H. dushanensis , H. huishuiensis , by having more dorsal scales contained within one eye diameter (18 versus <17); from H. bonkowskii , H. hongkongensis , H. houaphanensis , H. huishuiensis , H. kiziriani , H. nahangensis , H. ngocsonensis , H. pardalis , H. serpispecus and H. vanhonensis by different lamellar formula of digits II–V of the fingers (4-5-5-5 versus 3-4-4-4, 3-(3 or 4)-4-4, (3 or 4)-4-4-4, (3 or 4)-4-(4 or 5)-4, 3-4-4-4, 3-4-5-4, 3-4-4-4, 3-3-3-3, 3-4-4-4 and 4-4-4-4, respectively); from H. banaensis , H. bonkowskii , H. dupanglingensis , H. dushanensis , H. hongkongensis , H. houaphanensis , H. huishuiensis , H. kiziriani , H. lungcuensis , H. nahangensis , H. ngocsonensis , H. pardalis , H. serpispecus and H. vanhonensis by different lamellar formula of the toes (5-5-6-5 versus 4-5-5-5, 4-5-5-4, (4 or 5)-(5 or 6)-(5 or 6)-(4 or 5), (4 or 5)-(5 or 6)-(5 or 6)-5, (3 or 4)-(4 or 5)-(4 or 5)-4, (3 or 4)-4-4-4, 4-(4 or 5)-(4 or 5)-4, 4-(4 or 5)-(4 or 5)-4, 4-5-5-5, 4-5-5-5, 4-5-5-4, 4-4-4-4, 3-4-4-5 and 4-5-5-5, respectively); and from H. banaensis , H. bonkowskii , H. huishuiensis , H. kiziriani , H. ngocsonensis , H. pardalis , H. serpispecus , H. vanhonensis and H. yanshanensis by having more total femoroprecloacal pores (23 versus <23).

In body coloration and pattern, the new species differs from H. banaensis , H. bonkowskii , H. dupanglingensis , H. houaphanensis , H. huishuiensis , H. kiziriani , H. lungcuensis , H. ngocsonensis , H. pardalis , H. serpispecus , H. vanhonensis and H. yanshanensis by the absence of a dark postorbital stripe (versus presence); from H. banaensis , H H. huishuiensis , H. kiziriani , H. nahangensis , H. serpispecus and H. yanshanensis by the absence of dark dorsolateral stripe on trunk (versus present); from H. banaensis , H. dupanglingensis , H. houaphanensis , H. huishuiensis , H. kiziriani , H. vanhonensis and H. yanshanensis by the absence of dark dorsal transverse blotches (versus presence); from H. banaensis , H. dushanensis and H. pardalis by the presence of a postsacral marking bearing light-coloured anteriorly projecting arms (versus absence); from H. bonkowskii , H. dupanglingensis , H. ngocsonensis and H. pardalis by having unpigmented caecum (versus pigmented); and from H. dupanglingensis and H. pardalis by having unpigmented gonads (versus pigmented).

In terms of body ratios, the new species differs from H. huishuiensis by having a longer head (HL/SVL); differs from H. bonkowskii and H. yanshanensis by having a smaller head width and head length ratio (HW/HL), differs from H. bonkowskii , H. dushanensis , H. kiziriani and H. yanshanensis by having a shorter snout (SN/HL); differs from H. bonkowskii , H. kiziriani , H. pardalis , H. serpispecus and H. yanshanensis by having a shorter nares-eye length (NE/HL); differs from H. bonkowskii , H. houaphanensis , H. kiziriani , H. ngocsonensis , and H. yanshanensis by having smaller eyes (ED/HL); and differs from H. bonkowskii , H. kiziriani , H. ngocsonensis , H. pardalis and H. yanshanensis by having a wider snout width (SW/HL).

On Hainan Island, the new species differs from Hemiphyllodactylus typus by having fewer chin scales (6 versus 9–12), more dorsal scales contained within one eye diameter (18 versus 13–15), different lamellar formulae on digits II–V of hands and feet (4-5-5-5 and 5-5-6-5 versus 3-4-4-4 and 4-5-5-4), more total femoroprecloacal pores (23 versus 0–12), the absence of dark postorbital stripe (versus presence), absence of dark dorsal transverse blotches (versus presence) and unpigmented caecum and gonads (versus pigmented); differs from H. diaoluoshanensis sp. nov. by having fewer chin scales (6 versus 8), more dorsal and ventral scales contained within one eye diameter (18 and 11 versus 11–13 and seven or eight), more lamellae on digits II–V of the fingers and toes (4-5-5-5 and 5-5- 6-5 versus 3-3-3-3 and 3-4-4-4), more total femoroprecloacal pores (23 versus 15), the absence of dark postorbital stripe and dark dorsal transverse blotches (versus presence) and the presence of postsacral marking bearing light-coloured anteriorly projecting arms (versus absence); and differs from H. jianfenglingensis sp. nov. by having fewer chin scales (6 versus 9 or 10), more dorsal and ventral scales contained within one eye diameter (18 and 11 versus 12–14 and 6), more lamellae on digits II–V of the fingers and toes (4-5-5-5 and 5-5-6-5 versus 3-3-3-3 and 3-4-4-4), more total femoroprecloacal pores (23 versus 21), the absence of dark postorbital stripe and dark dorsal transverse blotches (versus presence) and the presence of postsacral marking bearing light-coloured anteriorly projecting arms (versus absence).

Distribution and ecology. Currently, Hemiphyllodactylus lingshuiensis sp. nov. is currently known only from its type locality of Mt. Diaoluo, Lingshui Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province, China.

The area surrounding the collection site at the type locality is tropical montane seasonal rainforest. This is the same habitat as that of Hemiphyllodactylus diaoluoshanensis sp. nov., another new species also found in this area. The holotype was collected from the wall of a building during the evening, and the specimen autotomized its tail in the process. Its reproductive season remains unknown.