Gekko prep, Zhou & Chen & Liu & Li & Qi & Li & Peng, 2025

Gekko prep sp. nov.

Figures 3, 4.

Holotype. HN2024R038, adult male collected by Runbang Zhou on 10 November 2024 from Changjiang County ( Figure 5), Hainan, China (19.129°N, 109.171°E, at an elevation of 615 m). GoogleMaps

Paratype. HN2024R039, adult female, collected at the same locality as the holotype on 10 November 2024 GoogleMaps .

Etymology. This gecko has been named "prep ", with the Chinese name “nẍ保ae地壁± (Zì Rǎn Bǎo Hù Dì Bì Hǔ)”. This naming originates from the fact that the species was discovered within a protected natural area. This naming also reflects the work and career of the discoverers of this species. Specifically, the first "P" in "prep " symbolizes national parks, which are the mainstay of protected areas; "Re" represents nature reserves, which serve as the foundation of protected areas; and the second "P" stands for natural parks, which complement the protected area system. Together, these letters constitute the three major components of China's protected areas. Protected areas are the native habitats and homes of numerous rare and endangered wildlife species, playing a pivotal role as the core carriers in ecological construction. They are invaluable assets of the Chinese nation, important symbols of a beautiful China, and the best gifts humanity can leave for future generations.

Diagnosis. (1) medium body size (SVL 68.1–75.6 mm, n = 2); (2) interorbital scales between the anterior corners of the eyes 37–38; (3) tubercles present on dorsal body and tails, forelimbs and hindlimbs smooth without tubercles; (4) ventral scales between mental and cloacal slit 144–152; (5) midbody scale rows 122–126; (6) subdigital lamellae on first finger 11, on fourth finger 12–13, on first toe 11–12, on fourth toe 12–13, webbing present between the fingers and toes; (7) ventral scale rows 38–40; (8) 24 precloacal pores in males and absent in females; (9) nostrils in contact with rostral scale; (10) dorsal surface of body with six large dark green and brown bicolor bands between nape and sacrum.

Description. Adult male ( Table 4), body size moderate, SVL 75.6mm, body slender and trunk relatively elongate (AGD/SVL = 0.43); tail broken; in dorsal view, the head is triangular and relatively elongated (HW/HL = 0.72), clearly distinct from the neck; snout rounded anteriorly, elongate (SL/HL = 0.45); eyes large (ED/HL = 0.22), slightly protruding; the head is covered with granular scales interspersed with a few tubercles; interorbital round, there are a total of 37 scales between eyes; in lateral view, Head depressed (HH/HL = 0.37), pupil vertical; rostral broken; nares oval, touching rostral, first supralabial; three nasals; mental scale is pentagonal, with its length being greater than its width (MW/ML=0.72); 2 postmentals, enlarged, hexagonal and separated by mental; supralabials 14/14, infralabials 11/11, both irregular polygons that gradually decrease in size from the rostral and mental regions towards the corners of the mouth; ear opening oval, obliquely oriented, much smaller than eye (EOD/ED=0.35).

The back is covered with granular scales, 86 scales between the ventrolateral folds at the middle of the body, interspersed with tubercles 3–4 times larger than the granular scales; each tubercle is surrounded by 10–12 granular scales; tubercles extend from the dorsal region of the head to dorsal region of the tail; 12 rows of tubercles in the middle of the back; ventrolateral fold weakly developed, without tubercles; ventral scale rows at midbody 40, which are significantly larger than the dorsal scales, smooth, imbricate and largest in middle of belly; scale rows around mid-body 126; ventral scales in a row between mental and cloacal slit 152; precloacal scales enlarged, 24 precloacal pores. Limbs well-developed, with smooth scales and no tubercles; digits moderately expanded; tail oval in section, broken, swollen at base; postcloacal tubercles 1/1.

Color of holotype in life. The base color of the head, limbs, and back is light green, irregularly scattered with some pale green threads or blotches, alternatively ornamented with six large dark green and six taupe wide bicolor bands from neck to the sacrum; an indistinct pale-colored vertebral line is present from the nape to the tail base.

Distribution. Gekko prep sp. nov. is currently known to occur only at the type locality: Bawangling National Park, Changjiang County, Hainan, China.

Comparisons. The new species Gekko prep sp. nov. can be distinguished from G. aaronbaueri Tri, Thai, Phimvohan, David & Teynie ; G. adleri Nguyen, Wang, Yang, Lehmann, Le, Ziegler & Bonkowski ; G. alpinus Ma, Shi, Shen, Chang & Jiang ; G. auriverrucosus Zhou & Liu ; G. bonkowskii Luu, Calame, Nguyen, Le, Ziegler ; G. canhi Rösler, Nguyen, Van Doan, Ho, Nguyen & Ziegler ; G. cib Lyu, Lin, Ren, Jiang, Zhang, Qi & Wang ; G. guishanicus Lin & Rao ; G. hokouensis Pope ; G. japonicus Schlegel ; G. jiniangensis Hou, Shi, Wang, Shu, Zheng, QI, Liu, Jiang & Xie ; G. kaiyai Zhang, Wu & Zhang ; G. khunkhamensis Sitthivong, Lo, Nguyen, Ngo, Khotpathoom, Le, Ziegler & Luu ; G. kwangsiensis Yang ; G. melli Vogt ; G. nadenensis Luu, Nguyen, Le, Bonkowski & Ziegler ; G. paucituberculatus Wang, Qi, Zhou & Wang ; G. scabridus Liu & Zhou ; G. sengchanthavongi Luu, Calame, Nguyen, Le, & Ziegler ; G. shibatai Toda, Sengoku, Hikida & Ota ; G. swinhonis Günther ; G. subpalmatus Günther ; G. taibaiensis Song ; G. tawaensis Okada ; G. thakhekensis Luu, Calame, Nguyen, Le, Bonkowski & Ziegler ; G. truongi Phung & Ziegler ; G. vertebralis Toda, Sengoku, Hikida & Ota ; G. wenxianensis Zhou & Wang ; G. yakuensis Matsui & Okada ( Table 5) by a greaterv number of precloacal pores in males (24); Gekko prep sp. nov. can be distinguished from G. liboensis Zhou Liu & Li by webbing present between the fingers and toes (versus absent); from G. palmatus Boulenger by few SMC (144–152 versus 160–191); from G. scientiadventura Rösler, Ziegler, Vu, Herrmann & Böhme by dorsal tubercles row at midbody present (versus absent).

G. prep s p. nov. differs from its sister taxon G. chinensis by more DTR (12 versus 10); fewer SMC (144–152 versus 156–167); more LT1 (11–12 versus 8–10); tubercles on the limbs absent (versus present); dark green patches present on head and sides of the body (versus absent). G. prep sp. nov. differs from the closely related species G. similignum by fewer IO (37–38 versus 46–48); more DTR (12 versus 11); fewer SR (122–126 versus 144–153); more precloacal pores in males (24 versus 17); dark green patches present on head and sides of the body (versus absent).