Goniurosaurus wuzhengjuni Chen & Chen sp. nov.
Figs 2, 3
Type materials.
Holotype. • GXNU 2025101603, adult male (Fig. 2 A), from Baishou Nature Reserve, Yongfu County, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (25.0636°N, 109.7391°E; elevation 323 m a. s. l.) collected by H. L. Chen on 26 October 2025.
Paratypes. • Three adult females GXNU 2025090812 (Fig. 2 B), GXNU 2025101601 (Fig. 2 C) – 02 (Fig. 2 D), same data to the holotype.
Diagnosis.
Goniurosaurus wuzhengjuni sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners through a distinct combination of morphological characteristics: (1) SVL 92.3–109.3 mm; (2) 0–1 internasals; (3) 2 gular scales bordering the internasals; (4) 8–9 gular scales bordering the postmentals; (5) 26–27 paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions; (6) 23 precloacal pores in males; (7) 7 nasal scales surrounding the nostril; (8) 9–10 sublabials; (9) 47–54 eyelid fringe scales or ciliaria; (10) 11–12 granular scales surrounding dorsal tubercles; (11) 21–22 dorsal tubercle rows at midbody and (12) 101–108 midbody scale rows; (13) 2 postcloacal tubercle present on each side; (14) a light yellow dorsal ground coloration on the head, body, and limbs covered with dense, irregular black blotches.
Description.
Holotype. GXNU 2025101603, adult male; SVL 92.3 mm; TaL 74.8 mm; AG 36.6 mm; SE 10.6 mm; EE 9.2 mm; HW 17.8 mm; HL 25.5 mm; SVL / AG 2.52; SVL / HL 3.62; HL / HW 1.43; SE / EE 1.15.
The head is wider than the neck and dorsally covered with uniform granular scales interspersed with small tubercles. The rostral scale is convex and wider than high, bordered laterally by the first supralabial and prenasal scales, and posteriorly by the supranasal scale. Each external naris is encircled by seven nasal scales — anteriorly by the prenasal, dorsally contacting the supranasal and one granular scale (noted on the right side), and posteriorly by two smaller granular scales (Fig. 3 C). There are nine rectangular supralabials on each side (9 / 9). The eyes are relatively large with vertical pupils. A suborbital skin fold extends posteroventrally across the angle of the jaw. The tympanum is deeply recessed and bordered anteriorly by two spinose scales. The mental scale is bordered laterally by the first infralabials and posteriorly by four postmentals. There are ten rectangular infralabials on each side (10 / 10).
The neck is narrower than the body. Dorsal body tubercles are each surrounded by 11 or 12 granular scales. There are 21–22 rows of dorsal tubercles at midbody, and 26–27 paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions. The body is relatively slender, bearing 101–108 granular scales around midbody. Larger ventral scales transition abruptly to smaller granular scales just anterior to the vent. There are 23 precloacal pores arranged in a continuous transverse series that does not extend onto the proximal thighs (Fig. 3 F). Two enlarged postcloacal tubercles are present laterally at the vent level.
The limbs are long and slender; dorsally they bear granular scales and closely spaced tubercles, while ventrally, the scales are flat, ranging from juxtaposed to subimbricate. The hindlimbs are larger than the forelimbs. The dorsal surfaces of both manus and pes bear granular scales, with the pes bearing several conical tubercles. The ventral surfaces of the limbs are covered with large granular scales. Subdigital lamellae counts are as follows: 13 / 13 on the first finger, 19 / 17 on the fourth finger, 13 / 12 on the first toe, and 25 / 24 on the fourth toe.
The original tail is slender at the base, gradually thickening towards the middle, and tapering to a blunt tip, bearing six distinct bands along its length.
Coloration in life.
The head, body, and limbs exhibit a grayish-white dorsal ground color with dense, irregular black blotches, some of which are partially fused on the head. The iris is orange. A pale-yellow nuchal loop is present, with a rounded posterior margin. Three pale-yellow bands occur on the body between the limb insertions and a postsacral band is located at the base of the tail. The ventral surfaces of the head, body, and limbs are white. The original tail bears a black ground color with distinct white bands, whereas the regenerated tail shows irregular white markings that coalesce toward its tip.
Comparisons.
Goniurosaurus wuzhengjuni sp. nov. is assigned to the G. luii group by a unique combination of morphological characteristics — more than 16 precloacal pores in males, claws encased in scales, and a slender, splayed body and limbs — consistent with the original definition of the group.
The new species differs from its sister taxon, G. araneus, by having fewer eyelid fringe scales (CIL, 47–54 vs. 61–67), fewer scales around midbody (MB, 101–108 vs. 129–147), fewer subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe (LT 4, 17–19 vs. 23–24), and more precloacal pores (PP, 23 vs. 18–22).
Additional scalation characters further emphasize the distinctiveness of G. wuzhengjuni sp. nov., as shown by the following combination of traits: (1) fewer MB (101–108 in G. wuzhengjuni vs. 123–151 in G. gezhi, 119–137 in G. chengzheng, 119–144 in G. luii Grismer, Viets & Boyle, 1999, 118–129 in G. huuliensis Orlov, Ryabov, Nguyen, Nguyen & Ho, 2008, 122–128 in G. kwangsiensis Yang & Chan, 2015, 112–127 in G. catbaensis Ziegler, Truong, Schmitz, Stenke & Rösler, 2008 and 127–129 in G. liboensis Wang, Yang & Grismer, 2013); (2) a different number of PP (23 in G. wuzhengjuni vs. 18–20 in G. gezhi, 20 in G. chengzheng, 16–21 in G. catbaensis and 25–28 in G. huuliensis); (3) fewer LT 4 (17–19 in G. wuzhengjuni vs. 23 in G. chengzheng, 21–24 in G. luii, 22–27 in G. kwangsiensis, 22–24 in G. catbaensis and 23–26 in G. liboensis); (4) distinct CIL counts (47–54 in G. wuzhengjuni vs. 57–61 in G. luii and 41–44 in G. huuliensis); and (5) more SBL (9–10 in G. wuzhengjuni vs. 6–8 in G. catbaensis). Detailed data are summarized in Table 2.
G. wuzhengjuni sp. nov. differs from species of the G. lichtenfelderi group by having a more slender body and limbs, a greater number of subdigital lamellae under the first finger (11–13 vs. 6–10), and a broader black band either anterior or posterior to the three pale-yellow body bands. It is distinguished from the G. kuroiwae group by the presence of 23 precloacal pores in males (vs. absence in that group) and claws encased by four scales rather than unsheathed. The new species is further separated from the G. yingdeensis group by a greater number of precloacal pores.
Variation.
Measurements and scalation data for the type series are provided in Table 1. The paratypes generally conform to the holotype in coloration and overall morphological proportions, with the following exceptions: the ratio of snout – vent length to axilla – groin distance (SVL / AG) is 2.52 in the male (n = 1) and 2.19–2.21 in females (n = 3). Paratype GXNU 2025090812 differs from the remaining specimens in the following aspects: (1) the absence of an internasal scale, present in the others; (2) 11 granular scales surrounding the dorsal tubercles, compared to 12 in the others; and (3) 26 paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, rather than 27 as in the others.
Etymology.
The specific epithet wuzhengjuni honors Professor Zhengjun Wu for his significant contributions to the study of Sauria. His research team pioneered the use of AI-based tail pattern recognition technology, which has greatly advanced the conservation and research of the nationally first-class protected species Shinisaurus crocodilurus, thereby supporting population-recovery efforts. The proposed common names are “ Wu’s Cave Gecko ” (in English) and “ \u6b66\u6c0f\u7751\u864e ” (w\u01d4 shì ji\u01cen h\u01d4 in Chinese).
Distribution and ecology.
Goniurosaurus wuzhengjuni sp. nov. was discovered in the karst regions of northern Guangxi, China, at elevations ranging from 280 to 351 meters in areas with dense arborous vegetation (Fig. 4 A). The species is nocturnal and was frequently observed on limestone surfaces near roadside slopes or around limestone accumulations at cave entrances (Fig. 4 B, C).
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