A new species of krait of the genus Bungarus (Squamata, Elapidae) from Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand

We described a new species of elapid snake genus Bungarus from the Tenasserim Mountain Range in Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand. Bungarus sagittatus sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by having the combination of 15 dorsal scale rows; 215–217 ventral scales; 48–56 undivided subcaudal; prefrontal suture 2.4–2.6 times length of internasal suture; anterior chin shields larger than posterior chin shields; head of adult uniform black while juvenile black with small dim white patches on temporal and parietal areas; dorsal body black, with 25–31 white narrow bands, white and black bands at midbody covering 1.5–3.0 and 4.5–6.0 vertebral scales, respectively; dorsal body black bands not intruding ventrals or intruding ventrals less than 0.5 times of width of outer dorsal scales; ventral surface of body immaculate white; ventral side of tail white with a row of dark brown triangular patches on middle pointing posteriorly; tail relatively long, tail length/total length 0.140–0.143. Genetically, the new species has uncorrected pairwise divergences of ≥ 8.29% of the mitochondrial cytochrome b from other Bungarus species. Currently, the new species is only known from the type locality

A new species of the Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus group (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the uplands of western Thailand

An integrative systematic analysis recovered a new species of the Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus group from the uplands of Thong Pha Phum National Park, Kanchanaburi Province in western Thailand. Cyrtodactylus thongphaphumensis sp. nov. is deeply embedded within the brevipalmatus group, bearing an uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence of 7.6–22.3% from all other species based on a 1,386 base pair segment of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (ND2) and adjacent tRNAs. It is diagnosable from all other species in the brevipalmatus group by statistically significant mean differences in meristic and normalized morphometric characters as well as differences in categorical morphology. A multiple factor analysis recovered its unique and non-overlapping placement in morphospace as statistically significantly different from that of all other species in the brevipalmatus group. The description of this new species contributes to a growing body of literature underscoring the high degree of herpetological diversity and endemism across the sky-island archipelagos of upland montane tropical forest habitats in Thailand, which like all other upland tropical landscapes, are becoming some of the most imperiled ecosystems on the planet

Hidden diversity of rock geckos within the Cnemaspis siamensis 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 Cnemaspis siamensis species group. Cnemaspis samui 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. Cnemaspis similan 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. Cnemaspis samui sp. nov. is found along granitic rocky stream outcrops of Hin Lad Waterfall, Ko Samui, Gulf of Thailand, while Cnemaspis similan 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

The taxonomy and phylogeny of the Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) with emphasis on C. interdigitalis and C. ngati

Abstract Convergent morphological specializations for an arboreal lifestyle in most species of the Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus group have been a confounding factor for establishing a stable taxonomy among its species. Recent references to C. interdigitalis from throughout Thailand and Laos were made without comparisons to the type material from Tham Yai Nam Nao, Nam Nao National Park, Phetchabun Province, Thailand, but instead, were based on general morphological similarity and distribution. The taxonomy of C. interdigitalis is stabilized here by comparing the paratypes to other specimens from Thailand and Laos and recovering their phylogenetic relationships based on newly acquired genetic data, including those from the type locality. The phylogeny recovered all specimens outside the type locality to be either C. ngati from Vietnam or new species closely related to C. ngati. Cyrtodactylus interdigitalis is shown here to be a range-restricted upland endemic on the Phetchabun massif of northern Thailand. The phylogeny also indicates that C. ngati extends hundreds of kilometers farther south into northern Thailand and central Laos. We hypothesize that the significant morphological divergence in body shape of the types of C. ngati, compared to that of the Lao and Thai populations, may be due to local adaptions for utilizing karst (C. ngati) rather than vegetation (Lao and Thai populations). Additionally, phylogenetic and multivariate analyses identified a potentially new species from Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, Phitsanulok Province, in northern Thailand and another from the Khlong Naka Wildlife Sanctuary, Ranong Province, in southern Thailand. A series of newly examined specimens from Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchaburi Province, Thailand represents a possible ~82 km range extension to the southeast of C. rukhadeva. This research continues to underscore the high diversity of range-restricted upland endemics in Thailand and the importance of examining type material (if possible) in the context of a phylogeny so as to construct proper taxonomies that reveal, rather than obscure, diversity

Corrigenda: Species delimitation of crab-eating frogs (Fejervarya cancrivora complex) clarifies taxonomy and geographic distributions in mainland Southeast Asia. ZooKeys 883: 119–153. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.883.37544

Volume: 897Start Page: 149-15

Species delimitation of crab-eating frogs (Fejervarya cancrivora complex) clarifies taxonomy and geographic distributions in mainland Southeast Asia

The taxonomy and geographic distributions of species of crab-eating frogs (Fejervarya cancrivora complex) in mainland Southeast Asia have been highly uncertain. Three taxonomic names are used in recent literature (F. cancrivora, F. raja, and F. moodiei) but the applications of these names to localities has been inconsistent, especially owing to the lack of available molecular data for F. raja. Morphometric and mitochondrial DNA variation was examined in these frogs, including name-bearing types and topotypes of all three species. Findings corroborate evidence for the existence of two species in coastal mainland Southeast Asia, with F. moodiei having a wide geographic distribution and F. cancrivora sensu stricto occurring only in extreme southern Thailand and peninsular Malaysia. Fejervarya raja is shown to be only a large-bodied population of F. cancrivora sensu stricto and is synonymized with that species. Revised descriptions of F. moodiei and F. cancrivora sensu stricto are provided