How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and Vietnam
Cyrtodactylus is the most diverse genus of the family Gekkonidae and the world’s third largest vertebrate genus. The number of species has increased more than fourfold over the last two decades. Indochina, especially Vietnam and Laos, has witnessed a surge in new species discoveries over the last th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pensoft Publishers
2022-04-01
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| Series: | ZooKeys |
| Online Access: | https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/78127/download/pdf/ |
| _version_ | 1818248419599187968 |
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| author | Hanh Thi Ngo Quyen Hanh Do Cuong The Pham Vinh Quang Luu L. Lee Grismer Thomas Ziegler Van Thi Hong Nguyen Truong Quang Nguyen Minh Duc Le |
| author_facet | Hanh Thi Ngo Quyen Hanh Do Cuong The Pham Vinh Quang Luu L. Lee Grismer Thomas Ziegler Van Thi Hong Nguyen Truong Quang Nguyen Minh Duc Le |
| author_sort | Hanh Thi Ngo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cyrtodactylus is the most diverse genus of the family Gekkonidae and the world’s third largest vertebrate genus. The number of species has increased more than fourfold over the last two decades. Indochina, especially Vietnam and Laos, has witnessed a surge in new species discoveries over the last three decades. The species number reported from Laos and Vietnam has remarkably increased from five in 1997 to 71 species in 2021. However, within the genus, several taxonomic issues have not yet been fully resolved. Based on recently collected samples from Laos and Vietnam, we conducted a comprehensive molecular review of Cyrtodactylus occurring in Laos and Vietnam. Our molecular analysis with support from morphological comparisons showed that C. thuongae is a junior synonym of C. dati and C. rufford is a junior synonym of C. lomyenensis. In total, 68 described species distributed in Laos and Vietnam are undisputed with strong support from both molecular and morphological evidence. On the other hand, the molecular analyses revealed that there are at least seven undescribed species in Vietnam and Laos, one in the C. angularis group, one in the C. chauquangensis, and five in the C. irregularis group. This number will likely increase significantly, as previous work suggested that the C. angularis and C. irregularis groups harbor three and six unnamed lineages, respectively. Based on survey gaps identified in our study, it is clear that additional new species will be discovered in poorly studied regions of central Vietnam and northern and southern Laos. As many species in the genus are facing high extinction risks, several undescribed populations might already be severely threatened by human activities in both countries. Therefore, urgent taxonomic research is needed before conservation assessments of newly discovered taxa can be undertaken to protect them from anthropogenic threats. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T15:20:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-63c638d0d9214cd19b12a0e4fd6660b7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1313-2970 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T15:20:18Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Pensoft Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | ZooKeys |
| spelling | doaj.art-63c638d0d9214cd19b12a0e4fd6660b72022-12-22T00:20:24ZengPensoft PublishersZooKeys1313-29702022-04-01109713515210.3897/zookeys.1097.7812778127How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and VietnamHanh Thi Ngo0Quyen Hanh Do1Cuong The Pham2Vinh Quang Luu3L. Lee Grismer4Thomas Ziegler5Van Thi Hong Nguyen6Truong Quang Nguyen7Minh Duc Le8Vietnam National UniversityUniversity of Science and TechnologyUniversity of Science and TechnologyVietnam National University of ForestryLa Sierra UniversityAG Zoologischer Garten KölnHanoi University of ScienceUniversity of Science and TechnologyHanoi University of ScienceCyrtodactylus is the most diverse genus of the family Gekkonidae and the world’s third largest vertebrate genus. The number of species has increased more than fourfold over the last two decades. Indochina, especially Vietnam and Laos, has witnessed a surge in new species discoveries over the last three decades. The species number reported from Laos and Vietnam has remarkably increased from five in 1997 to 71 species in 2021. However, within the genus, several taxonomic issues have not yet been fully resolved. Based on recently collected samples from Laos and Vietnam, we conducted a comprehensive molecular review of Cyrtodactylus occurring in Laos and Vietnam. Our molecular analysis with support from morphological comparisons showed that C. thuongae is a junior synonym of C. dati and C. rufford is a junior synonym of C. lomyenensis. In total, 68 described species distributed in Laos and Vietnam are undisputed with strong support from both molecular and morphological evidence. On the other hand, the molecular analyses revealed that there are at least seven undescribed species in Vietnam and Laos, one in the C. angularis group, one in the C. chauquangensis, and five in the C. irregularis group. This number will likely increase significantly, as previous work suggested that the C. angularis and C. irregularis groups harbor three and six unnamed lineages, respectively. Based on survey gaps identified in our study, it is clear that additional new species will be discovered in poorly studied regions of central Vietnam and northern and southern Laos. As many species in the genus are facing high extinction risks, several undescribed populations might already be severely threatened by human activities in both countries. Therefore, urgent taxonomic research is needed before conservation assessments of newly discovered taxa can be undertaken to protect them from anthropogenic threats.https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/78127/download/pdf/ |
| spellingShingle | Hanh Thi Ngo Quyen Hanh Do Cuong The Pham Vinh Quang Luu L. Lee Grismer Thomas Ziegler Van Thi Hong Nguyen Truong Quang Nguyen Minh Duc Le How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and Vietnam ZooKeys |
| title | How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and Vietnam |
| title_full | How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and Vietnam |
| title_fullStr | How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and Vietnam |
| title_full_unstemmed | How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and Vietnam |
| title_short | How many more species are out there? Current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent-toed geckos (Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus) in Laos and Vietnam |
| title_sort | how many more species are out there current taxonomy substantially underestimates the diversity of bent toed geckos gekkonidae cyrtodactylus in laos and vietnam |
| url | https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/78127/download/pdf/ |
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