Hidden diversity of rock geckos within the Cnemaspissiamensis species group (Gekkonidae, Squamata): genetic and morphological data from southern Thailand reveal two new insular species and verify the phylogenetic affinities of C.chanardi and C.kamolnorranathi.

Two new insular rock geckos in the genus Cnemaspis are described from Ko Samui in Surat Thani Province and Ko Similan in Phang-nga Province, southern Thailand, based on a combination of morphological and mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) data. Both new species represent divergent lineages within the Cnemaspissiamensis species group. Cnemaspissamui sp. nov. is distinguished from other species in the group by having eight or nine supralabial and infralabial scales; 5-8 pore-bearing precloacal scales in males, pores rounded; 25-27 paravertebral tubercles, arranged randomly; 22-25 subdigital lamellae under 4th toe; enlarged median subcaudal scale row present; gular region, abdomen, limbs and subcaudal region yellowish only in males, and uncorrected pairwise divergences of 8.86-26.83% from all other species in the C.siamensis species group. Cnemaspissimilan sp. nov. is distinguished from other species in the group by having eight or nine supralabial and seven or eight infralabial scales; one pore-bearing precloacal scale in males, pore rounded; 24 or 25 paravertebral tubercles, arranged randomly; 23 or 24 subdigital lamellae under 4th toe; no enlarged median subcaudal scale row; pale yellow reticulum on head, neck, flanks, belly and limbs in male only, and uncorrected pairwise divergences of 9.34-27.11% from all other species in the C.siamensis species group. Cnemaspissamui sp. nov. is found along granitic rocky stream outcrops of Hin Lad Waterfall, Ko Samui, Gulf of Thailand, while Cnemaspissimilan sp. nov. occurs in granitic rocky outcrops near Ao Nguang Chang Bay, Ko Similan, Andaman Sea. The phylogenetic analyses confirmed that C.chanardi and C.kamolnorranathi are also nested within the C.siamensis species group, as previously hypothesized from morphology and color pattern characters.

A new species in the Cyrtodactylusoldhami group (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand.

Cyrtodactylusmonilatus sp. nov. is described from Si Sawat District, Kanchanaburi Province, in western Thailand. The new species superficially resembles C.zebraicus Taylor, 1962 from southern Thailand. However, differences between the new species from C.zebraicus and other congeners were supported by an integrative taxonomic analysis of molecular and morphological data. Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene showed that the new species is a member of the C.oldhami group and closely related to Cyrtodactylus sp. MT468911 from Thong Pha Phum National Park, Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province. Uncorrected pairwise genetic divergences (p-distances) between the new species and its congeners, including C.zebraicus, ranged from 7.7-17.7%. Cyrtodactylusmonilatus sp. nov. can also be distinguished from all members of the C.oldhami group by having a unique combination of morphological characters, including a snout to vent length of 53.7-63.3 mm in adult males and 58.6-75.8 mm in adult females; 22-34 paravertebral tubercles; 34-42 ventral scales; 30-39 enlarged contiguous femoroprecloacal scales; femoral pores and precloacal pores absent in both sexes; four or five rows of postprecloacal scales; enlarged median subcaudal scales absent; weak ventrolateral folds present; 4-7 rows of paired, paravertebral, dark-brown blotches edged in yellow or yellowish white; and two rows of small, diffuse, yellow or yellowish white spots on flanks. The new species occurs in a narrow range of forest at mid to low elevations associated with karst landscapes in the Tenasserim mountain range.

Integrative taxonomy delimits and diagnoses cryptic arboreal species of the Cyrtodactylusbrevipalmatus group (Squamata, Gekkonidae) with descriptions of four new species from Thailand.

Species delimitation and species diagnosis must remain separate operations to avoid constructing taxonomies comprised of non-monophyletic species based on morphological similarity as opposed to phylogenetic propinquity. This is particularly true for highly specialized species such as the range-restricted upland taxa in the Cyrtodactylusbrevipalmatus group of Indochina where strong selection pressure for an arboreal lifestyle has contributed to morphologically similar but distantly related species. This in turn, has resulted in a history of erroneous taxonomies that have actually obscured rather than revealed the diversity within this group. A Bayesian phylogeny of the C.brevipalmatus group recovered at least 15 putative species-level lineages, at least seven of which are undescribed, and of which four are described herein. A total evidence morphological data set comprised of 16 normalized morphometric, 15 meristic, and seven categorical characters scored across 51 individuals was subjected to a multiple factor analysis (MFA) and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to diagnose the putative species. These new species descriptions contribute to focusing attention to the unrealized diversity in upland tropical ecosystems, which due to climate change, are some of the most impearled ecosystems on the planet. Thus, it is paramount that taxonomies do not conflate species identities and underrepresent true diversity.

A new insular species of the Cyrtodactyluspulchellus group (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) from Tarutao Island, southern Thailand revealed by morphological and genetic evidence.

The bent-toed geckos of the Cyrtodactyluspulchellus group are widely distributed along the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Although taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of this species group have been continuously conducted, only some populations from Thailand have been included, resulting in hidden diversity within this group. In this study, we used morphological and molecular data to clarify the taxonomic status and describe a new population from Tarutao Island, Satun Province, southern Thailand. Cyrtodactylusstellatus sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following morphological characters: body size; tuberculation; number of dark body bands, ventral scales, and femoroprecloacal pores in males; presence of precloacal pores in females; and scattered pattern on dorsum. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial ND2 gene recovered the new species as the sister species to C.astrum, with an uncorrected pairwise divergence of 9.78-12.37%. Cyrtodactylusstellatus sp. nov. is currently only known from Tarutao Island, Thailand. The discovery of this species suggests that the diversity within the C.pulchellus group remains underestimated and future exploration of unsurveyed areas are needed to further the understanding of this group and its geographic range.

A new species of Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata; Gekkonidae) from the Thai Highlands with a discussion on the evolution of habitat preference.

A new gekkonid lizard, Cyrtodactylus maelanoi sp. nov., from Mae Hong Son Province of the Thai Highlands is described using an integrative taxonomic analysis based on morphology, color pattern, and the mitochondrial gene NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) and its flanking tRNAs. Phylogenetic analyses place the new species within clade 1 of the C. sinyineensis group and as the sister species to C. inthanon with an uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence of 3.9%. Collection data gathered in the field indicate that C. maelanoi sp. nov. is a habitat generalist. Reconstruction of the ancestral habitat preference for the C. sinyineensis group by way of stochasitc character mapping (SCM) indicates that karstic environments were the ancestral condition out of which the general habitat preference of the ancestor of C. maelanoi sp. nov. and C. inthanon and that of C. amphipetreaus and C. doisuthep evolved three times independently. Additionally, SCM demonstrated that the evolution of a granitic habitat preference from a karst-adapted ancestor happened in C. aequalis. The discovery of a new upland species in the Thai Highlands brings into focus the understudied nature of the mountain systems of western Thailand and the need for their continued exploration and conservation.

Integrative taxonomy of the rock-dwelling gecko Cnemaspis siamensis complex (Squamata, Gekkonidae) reveals a new species from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, southern Thailand.

The rock-dwelling gecko genus Cnemaspis is one of the most species-diverse genera of gekkonid in Thailand. Earlier studies relied on morphological data to identify species, but cryptic morphology often obscured species diversity in Cnemaspis. In this study, an integrative taxonomic approach based on morphological characters and sequences of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene were used to clarify current taxonomy of the Cnemaspis siamensis complex and delimit a new species from Lan Saka District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, southern Thailand. Cnemaspis lineatubercularis sp. nov. is distinguished from other congeneric species by the combination of morphological characters: (1) maximum snout-vent length (SVL) of 40.6 mm (mean 38.8 ± SD 1.4, N = 12) in adult males and maximum SVL of 41.8 mm (mean 39.5 ± SD 1.9, N = 7) in adult females; (2) 8-9 supralabial and infralabial scales; (3) gular, pectoral, abdominal, and subcaudal scales keeled; (4) rostral, interorbitals, supercilium, palmar scales, and ventral scales of brachia smooth; (5) 5-6 small, subconical spine-like tubercles present on flanks; (6) 19-21 paravertebral tubercles linearly arranged; (7) 27-29 subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe; (8) 4-7 pore-bearing precloacal scales, pores rounded arranged in chevron shape and separated only in males; (9) one postcloacal tubercles each side in males; (10) ventrolateral caudal tubercles present anteriorly; (11) caudal tubercles restricted to a single paravertebral row on each side; (12) single median row of subcaudal scales keeled and lacking enlarged median row; and (13) gular region, abdomen, limbs and subcaudal region yellowish only in males. Genetically, the uncorrected pairwise divergences between the new species and their congeners in the C. siamensis group were between 15.53-28.09%. The new species is currently known only from granitic rocky streams at Wang Mai Pak Waterfall in the Nakhon Si Thammarat mountain range. Its discovery suggests that additional unrecognized species of Cnemaspis may still occur in unexplored areas of southern Thailand.

Morphological and molecular analyses reveal two new insular species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Satun Province, southern Thailand.

We describe two new insular gecko species of the genus Cnemaspis from Tarutao, Adang, and Rawi islands in Satun Province, southern Thailand. The new species are distinguished from their congeners in having a unique combination of morphological, scalation, and color pattern characters, and by genetic divergence in the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene. Cnemaspistarutaoensissp. nov. was found to be a member of the C.kumpoli group, but is distinguished from all other species in that group by having 8-9 supralabials and 8 infralabials; 4-5 pore-bearing precloacal scales, pores rounded; 17-19 paravertebral tubercles randomly arranged; 27-29 subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe; subcaudal region yellowish, with smooth scales and a single enlarged median row; black gular markings in males and females; and 17.24-22.36% uncorrected pairwise sequence divergences. Cnemaspisadangrawisp. nov. was found to be a member of the C.siamensis group, but is distinguished from all other species in that group by having 10 supralabials and 9 infralabials; 6-8 pore-bearing precloacal scales, pores rounded and arranged in a chevron shape; 23-25 randomly arranged, separated paravertebral tubercle rows; 26-28 subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe; subcaudal scales keeled, without enlarged median row; gular region, abdomen, limbs and subcaudal region yellowish in males only; gular marking absent in males and females; and 8.30-26.38 % uncorrected pairwise sequence divergences. Cnemaspistarutaoensissp. nov. occurs in karst formations on Tarutao Island, while Cnemaspisadangrawisp. nov. is found near granitic, rocky streams on Adang and Rawi islands.

Description of the tadpoles of two endemic frogs: the Phu Luang cascade frog Odorrana aureola (Anura: Ranidae) and the Isan big-headed frog Limnonectes isanensis (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from northeastern Thailand.

We describe the external morphology of the tadpoles of two frogs endemic to Thailand: the Phu Luang cascade frog    (Odorrana aureola) and the Isan big-headed frog (Limnonectes isanensis) from the type localities in the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary, Loei Province, northeastern Thailand. Morphological and genetic characters (16S rRNA) were used to identify specimen and match tadpoles to the adults. Detailed descriptions of external morphology and coloration in life are provided for both species. We provide a brief discussion of the ecology of these tadpoles and a comparison to previously published data from tadpoles of closely related taxa. Additionally, we provide evidence for the utility of larval morphology in resolving the taxonomic puzzles presented by cryptic species complexes.