Taxonomic review of the geckos allied to<i>Gekko chinensis</i>Gray 1842 (Gekkonidae Reptilia) from China and Vietnam

Abstract

A reassessment was made for the status of the poorly known Vietnamese gecko, Gekko palmatus Boulenger 1907, by comparing the holotype and additional specimens of the species with those of the closely resembling G. chinensis Gray 1842 from southeastern China. As a result, it was revealed that the two species differ from each other in several characters such as the size of internasal in relation to supernasal, and snout-vent length (SVL). On the other hand, the holotype and paratype of G. similignum Smith 1923, a species described from Hainan Island but subsequently synonymised to G. chinensis, showed several characteristics such as the greater scale row count at midbody and smaller SVL when compared with G. chinensis. The types also differed from G. palmatus in having internasal as large as or larger than supranasal. smaller SVL and fewer preanal pores. Therefore, the specific name G. similignum was resurrected as valid.