Bioacoustics of Gekko kwangsiensis

Distribution and natural history. The species is currently known only from Wuming County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China ( Fig. 4 ). The new gecko species is a rock-dwelling specialist, all individuals were found on the karst rocks in secondary-growth forest edge (at an elevation of 340 m a.s.l.) at night. Three gecko eggs, most likely of Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. , were found in a rock crevice. Comparisons . I compare Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. with all 20 currently recognized species within the G. japonicus species group. In having tubercles on dorsum, Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from G . melli (Vogt) , G . scientiadventura Rösler, Ziegler, Vu, Herrmann & Böhme , G . subpalmatus (Günther) and G . tawaensis Okada , versus dorsal tubercles absent in these species. In having a single postcloacal tubercle, Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from G . auriverrucosus Zhou & Liu (2–3), G . canhi Zhou & Liu (2–3), G . japonicus (Schlegel) (2–4), G . scabridus Liu & Zhou (2–3), G . scientiadventura (2–3), G . swinhonis Günther (2–3), G . taibaiensis Song (3), G . tawaensis , G . vertebralis Toda, Sengoku, Hikida & Ota (1–2) and G . wenxianensis Zhou & Wang (2–3). In having 9–10 distinct precloacal pores in males, Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from G . adleri Nguyen, Wang, Yang, Lehmann, Le, Ziegler & Bonkowski (17–21), G . chinensis (Gray) (17–27), G . palmatus Boulenger (23–30), G . scabridus (10–15, usually 12–13) and G . similignum Smith (17), as well as G . shibatai Toda, Sengoku, Hikida & Ota , G . tawaensis and G . vertebralis (adult males lacking distinct precloacal pores in these three species). From the remaining species, Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. differs from G . hokouensis Pope in having more precloacal pores (9–10 versus 5–9, usually 6–7 in hokouensis ), more preorbitals (18–19 versus 13 in hokouensis ), fewer dorsal tubercle rows (9–11 versus 12–14 in hokouensis ), more subdigital lamellae under first and fourth toes (11–13 versus 6–9 and 13–18 versus 7–9, respectively, in hokouensis ), and a different dorsal pattern. Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. differs from G . liboensis Zhou, Liu & Li in having a relatively smaller body size (adults SVL 64.2–69.7 mm versus 76–85 mm in liboensis ), fewer interorbitals (29–31 versus 40 in liboensis ), more subdigital lamellae under first and fourth toes (11–13 versus 8 and 13–18 versus 9, respectively, in liboensis ), dorsal tubercles round and convex ( versus dorsal tubercles round and flat in liboensis ), and a different dorsum pattern. Gekko kwangsiensis sp. nov. differs from G. yakuensis Matsui & Okada in having more precloacal pores (9–10 versus 6–8 in yakuensis ), dorsal tubercles present on the dorsal surface of tail base but not extending posteriorly ( versus paired median tubercles present on the whole length of the original tail in yakuensis ), and a different dorsal pattern.