Comments on the taxonomic status of Cyrtodactylus zebraicus Taylor, 1962 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Northern Peninsular Malaysia

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Abstract

The taxonomic status of Cyrtodactylus zebraicus in Peninsular Malaysia has been plagued with uncertainty over the last three decades owing to a lack of vouchered material. Recent collections confirmed the presence of this species in the northernmost state of Perlis and for the country. An expanded description of the newly collected Peninsular Malaysian specimens as well as the holotype of C. zebraicus is provided along with a comparison with other Cyrtodactylus species in the country. This study adds to the growing number of herpetofaunal species with Indo-Burmese affinities discovered in northern states of the country and the biogeographic importance of this region for the exchange of fauna and flora. The findings also highlight the importance of continued field work along the biogeographic interchange of the Banjaran Nakawan that separates southwestern Thailand from northwestern Peninsular Malaysia and the need to sample and collect voucher specimens that can be deposited in proper scientific collections for current and future research.

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Most cited references 19

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Twelve new species of Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from isolated limestone habitats in east-central and southern Myanmar demonstrate high localized diversity and unprecedented microendemism

Marta Grismer, Perry Wood, Thaw Zin … (2017)

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A phylogeny and taxonomy of the Thai-Malay Peninsula Bent-toed Geckos of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae): combined morphological and molecular analyses with descriptions of seven new species

L Grismer, PERRY WOOD, JR, EVAN S. H. QUAH … (2012)

An integrative taxonomic analysis using color pattern, morphology and 1497 base pairs of the ND2 mitochondrial geneand its five flanking tRNAs demonstrated that nine monophyletic species-level lineages occur within the Cyrtodactyluspulchellus complex (Cyrtodactylus pulchellus sensu strictu and C. macrotuberculatus) of the Thai-Malay Peninsula thathave a sequence divergence between them ranging from 5.9–16.8%. Additionally, each lineage is discretely diagnosablefrom one another based on morphology and color pattern and most occur in specific geographic regions (upland areas orislands) that prevent or greatly restrict interpopulation gene flow. Six of these lineages were masquerading under thenomen C. pulchellus and are described as the following: Cyrtodactylus astrum sp. nov. from northwestern PeninsularMalaysia and southwestern Thailand; C. langkawiensis sp. nov., at this point endemic to Langkawi Island, Malaysia; C.bintangrendah sp. nov., a lowland species surrounding the Banjaran (=mountain range) Bintang of northwesternPeninsular Malaysia; C. bintangtinggi sp. nov., endemic to the upland regions of the Banjaran Bintang of northwesternPeninsular Malaysia; C. trilatofasciatus sp. nov., endemic to upland regions of Cameron Highlands in the central portionof the Banjaran Titiwangsa in Peninsular Malaysia; and C. australotitiwangsaensis sp. nov. from the more southerlyupland regions of the Banjaran Titiwangsa. An additional species, Cyrtodactylus lekaguli sp. nov. from Satun, Trang, SuratThani, and Phang-nga provinces in southern Thailand, was identified on the basis of morphology and color pattern and is hypothesized to be part of a clade containing C. astrum sp. nov. and C. langkawiensis sp. nov.