Cyrtodactylus ziegleri Nazarov, Orlov, Nguyen & Ho, 2008

Cyrtodactylus ziegleri Nazarov, Orlov, Nguyen & Ho, 2008 View in CoL

Specimens examined.

Vietnam • 3 ♂♂; DNGP, Dak Nong Province, cave C 1 ; 12°31'11.0"N, 107°53'34.4"E; December 2020; V. H. D. Nguyen leg.; ITBCZ 10209 , 10211 , 11034 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; DNGP, Dak Nong Province, cave C 3 ; 12°31'02.4"N, 107°53'47.3"E; October 2023; V. H. D. Nguyen, T. G. Tran leg.; ITBCZ 11035 GoogleMaps • 1 ♀; DNGP, Dak Nong Province, cave C 6.1 ; 12°30'51.2"N, 107°53'59.8"E; October 2023; V. H. D. Nguyen, T. G. Tran leg.; ITBCZ 11024 GoogleMaps .

2 ♂ ( ITBCZ 10209 , ITBCZ 10211 ) and 1 ♂ ( ITBCZ 11034 ) from cave C 1 ( 12°31'11.0"N, 107°53'34.4"E), DNGP, Dak Nong Province, Vietnam, collected December 2020 by V. H. D. Nguyen GoogleMaps • 1 ♀ ( ITBCZ 11035 ) from cave C 3 ( 12°31'02.4"N, 107°53'47.3"E) and 1 ♀ ( ITBCZ 11024 ) from cave C 6.1 ( 12°30'51.2"N, 107°53'59.8"E), collected October 2023 by V. H. D. Nguyen, T. G. Tran GoogleMaps .

Notes.

The specimens were observed on the ceilings and within rock crevices, located 0–50 m inside the lava caves during both day and night. Cave C 1 has a single entrance and extends to areas with low oxygen concentrations at its deepest survey points (17.7 % at 180 m inside). The cave measures a maximum explored length of 195 m and a depth of 4.5 m. Cave C 3, also with a single entrance, has a maximum explored length of 716.3 m and a depth of 7.3 m. Cave C 6.1 features three entrances, with a maximum explored length of 293.7 m and a depth of 4.6 m ( La et al. 2018). Microhabitat parameters recorded at the eight gecko occurrences are shown in Table 1 View Table 1 . Sympatric fauna recorded alongside C. ziegleri included bats, crickets, crabs, snails, frogs ( Fejervarya limnocharis and Micryletta sp. ), and other lizards ( Scincella sp. ).

During cave surveys, we identified several primary threats to the cave habitat, including garbage, fire remnants, tourism, and poaching, all of which endanger cave wildlife (Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ). Fires contribute to air pollution, which negatively impacts vegetation inside the caves that serve as a food source for insects ( Baker et al. 2013). This, in turn, affects insectivorous species like bats and possibly C. ziegleri . Additionally, the heat from fires turned on inside the cave can lower the humidity and increase temperatures of the inner environment, provoking detrimental effects on the entire ecosystem ( Baker et al. 2013). Tourism has also been reported to pose multiple threats to cave ecosystems, including alterations to the microenvironment due to rising CO 2 levels, temperature shifts, noise, and the introduction of dust and microorganisms from visitors ( Piano et al. 2022). Understanding these threats is crucial for the conservation of these unique ecosystems.