Journal
of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2020 | 12(15):
17161–17164
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
doi: https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6559.12.15.17161-17164
#6559 | Received 11 August 2020 | Final received 04
October 2020 | Finally accepted 02 November 2020
A new country record of Smooth-backed Gliding Gecko Gekko lionotum (Annandale,
1905) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Bangladesh
M. Rashedul Kabir Bhuiyan
1, M. Fazle Rabbe
2, Mohammad Firoj Jaman
3, Ananda Kumar Das 4 &
Samiul Mohsanin 5
1 National Botanical Garden, Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2,3 Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka
1000, Bangladesh.
2,4,5 Padma Bridge Museum, Service Area-1, Dogachi, Sreenagar, Munshiganj, Bangladesh.
1 mbkabirrashedul@gmail.com,2 fazlerabbedu@gmail.com,
3 mfjaman4@gmail.com, 4 curator.empmb@gmail.com, 5 samiul.mohsanin@gmail.com
(corresponding author)
Editor: Raju Vyas, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Date of
publication: 26 November 2020 (online & print)
Citation: Bhuiyan, M.R.K., M.F. Rabbe,
M.F. Jaman, A.K. Das & S. Mohsanin
(2020). A new country record of Smooth-backed Gliding Gecko Gekko lionotum
(Annandale, 1905) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from
Bangladesh. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(15): 17161–17164. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6559.12.15.17161-17164
Copyright: © Bhuiyan et al. 2020. Creative
Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction,
and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to
the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Self-funded.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: We thank two anonymous reviewers for their valuable
comments and improvement of this manuscript.
Our special thanks go to the local guide who helped in the field study.
Gliding geckos are cryptic species distributed in the
tropical forests of southeastern Asia, including southern
China (Pawar & Biswas 2001). Among the 60 species of Gekko,
four gliding geckos are placed under the subgenus Ptychozoon
(Wood et al. 2020), restricted to India, Indonesia, Singapore, the
Philippines, and the mainland southeastern Asian
countries (Uetz et al. 2020). Although species of this subgenus have been
recorded from northeastern India (Pawar
& Biswas 2001) and Myanmar (Grismer et al. 2018),
they have not been reported from Bangladesh.
We present here a new country record of Gekko
lionotum from Bangladesh (Figure 1).
Observed specimen: Padma Bridge Museum #2246,
one adult individual, 4.iii.2020, Sangu Wildlife
Sanctuary, Bandarban, Bangladesh, 22.689N & 92.166E,
collected by Md. Rashedul Kabir Bhuiyan and his team.
We found a freshly dead specimen, later donated to
Padma Bridge Museum, Dogachi, Sreenagar,
Munshiganj. In
the museum this specimen was identified
as a Smooth-backed Gliding Gecko Gekko lionotum Annandale, 1905 based on the body features and
other morphometric measurements.
Considered a rare specimen and a valuable resource for future studies,
the gecko was preserved in alcohol as a wet specimen. According to The Reptile Database (www.reptile-database.org/),
this species is distributed in India (Mizoram), Myanmar (Rakhine and Bago), Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.
We combined characters to identify the species after
Brown et al. (1997), Brown (1999), and Grismer et al.
(2018). The key characters were:
snout-vent length 94.8mm; the absence of imbricated scales to support
parachute, dorsal tubercles and postorbital stripe; the presence of predigital
notch in preantebrachial expansion; 14–15 lamellae in
4th toe; five caudal lobes fused to form terminal lobe of the tail
and denticulated laterally with expansion; absence of caudal tubercles in tail
terminus; angling is slight between caudal lobes. We compared these characteristics with other
species of the subgenus Ptychozoon (Table
1). The characteristics clearly show the
present specimen is G. lionotum.
Morphometric data and coloration: We measured
morphometric characteristics using regular slide calipers
with an accuracy of 0.1mm (Table 2). We
compared our morphometric data with the described specimen of Pawar & Biswas (2001).
Our comparison matches the description given by Grismer
et al. (2018) and the nearest specimen from Mizoram, India (Pawar
& Biswas 2001). We also observed the
color pattern and body shape of our specimen. The upper parts of the body are gray to dark gray and the
underparts are yellowish with black spots (Image 1 & 2). The anterior ventral part is light grayish-yellow and the posterior is dark grayish-yellow. Ten
transverse, distinct, wavy, blackish-gray bands
present in the dorsal side (one in the head, four in inter-limb area, five in
the tail). The head is triangular, with
two dark gray-brown bands running from eye to ear
opening and a deep gray-brown band present at the
central region. The neck is narrow,
small, and brownish color; thighs and arms are
similar in color.
The tail is slightly shorter than the snout-vent length, dark black at
the tip, and both dorsal and ventral sides are covered with a dark gray-black band. The
skin of limbs, toes, and fingers is extended and lamellae are yellowish-white
in color.
Coloration of the body can perfectly match with woods and trees for
camouflage.
Parachute length and width: Measurements are:
Head to neck (length-width) 14.3-6.2; abdomen (length-width) 47.4-11; forelimb
anterior (length-width) 17.5-5.1; forelimb posterior (length-width) 17-3.9;
hindlimb anterior (length-width) 10.9-4.7; hindlimb posterior (length-width)
22.7-3.8; 21 lobes of parachute in tail, first segment (length-width) 5-3.4 and
last segment (length-width) 14.6-3.7.
Located in the southeast of the country, Bandarban District is a global biodiversity hotspot of the
Indo-Malayan region (Nishat et al. 2002), although the forest vegetation has
been degraded by settlers, local inhabitants and others (IRG 2012). We believe that more new species can be found
if proper effort is given, however, the richest biodiversity zone also attracts
organized poachers to traffic wildlife resources, timber and illegal drugs. The discovery of the lizard species indicates
the probability of getting more novel species in this area. We suggest more research work to expand our
knowledge and strictly manage the diversity of the zone with the leadership of
the Bangladesh Forest Department.
Table 1.
Comparison of species under the subgenus Ptychozoon
(after Brown et al. 1997, Brown 1999, and Grismer
et al. 2018).
|
Characters |
P. lionotum |
P. horsfieldii |
P. kuhli |
P. trinotaterra |
|
SVL (mm) |
94.8 |
73.9 |
107.8 |
71.3 |
|
Dorsal tubercle |
absent |
absent |
2-6 convex-shaped |
0-1 flat-shaped |
|
Parachute support scales |
absent |
present |
present |
present |
|
Predigital notch |
present |
absent |
absent |
absent |
|
4th toe lamellae |
14–15 |
11–13 |
12–16 |
12–14 |
|
Postorbital stripe |
absent |
present |
absent |
present |
|
No. of caudal lobes fused |
5 |
2/3 |
1–3 |
1/2 |
Table 2. Comparative morphometric data of the present
specimen and literature records of Gekko lionotum (after Pawar &
Biswas 2001; measurement in mm).
|
Parameters |
Present Specimen (PBM Reg. #2246) |
Ptychozoon lionotum |
|
A. Morphometric characters |
||
|
Total Body Length (TBL) |
184.6 |
168.7 |
|
Snout Vent Length (SVL) |
94.8 |
|
|
Body Width in the widest part (BW) |
14.5 |
|
|
Neck Width (NW) |
11 |
11.9 |
|
Head Length (HL) |
19.5 |
16.8 |
|
Head Width (HW) |
20.4 |
16.8 |
|
Tail Length (TL) |
89.8 |
93 |
|
Tail Width (TW) |
7.5 |
7.6 |
|
Eye Diameter (ED) |
5.2 |
4.8 |
|
Ear Opening (EO) |
1.5 |
2.3 |
|
Distance between Eyes (DE) |
9.1 |
10.3 |
|
Distance between Eye and Ear (DEE) |
7.5 |
7.7 |
|
Distance between Eye and Nostril (DEN) |
6.7 |
8.2 |
|
Distance between Nostrils (DN) |
3.7 |
3.7 |
|
Total Forelimb Length (TFL) |
32.5 |
27.8 |
|
Forearm Length (FL) |
22.1 |
18.7 |
|
Total Hindlimb Length (THL) |
42.3 |
39.6 |
|
Hindlimb (Femur) Length (HFL) |
16.5 |
13.6 |
|
Hindlimb (Tibio-fibula) Length (HTL) |
16.0 |
12.7 |
|
Inter-limb Distance (ILD) |
47.6 |
47 |
|
Forelimb Digit (FD) |
6.9+9.5+12.5+ 13.3+11.4 |
|
|
Hindlimb Digit (HD) |
9.5+13.5+14.4+ 14.8+11.3 |
|
|
Mouth opening (MO) |
17.2 |
|
|
B. Scales and Digits |
||
|
Supralabials (Left/Right) |
11/11 |
10/11 |
|
Infralabials (Left/Right) |
9/9 |
9/9 |
|
Mental |
01 |
|
|
Post-mental |
02 |
|
|
Rostral |
01 |
|
|
Postrostral/Supranasal |
02 |
|
|
Femoral
pores |
02 |
|
|
Forelimb
lamellae |
11+12+12
+15+13 |
11/10+11/13+12/
16+15/15+14/14 |
|
Hindlimb
lamellae |
11+12+14
+14+12 |
11/11+12/12+16/
15+14/14+14/14 |
For
figure & images - - click here
References
Brown, R.M. (1999). New species of parachute gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: genus Ptychozoon)
from northeastern Thailand and central Vietnam. Copeia 990–1001. https://doi.org/10.2307/1447974
Brown, R.M., J.W. Ferner
& A.C. Diesmos (1997). Definition of the Philippine Parachute Gecko, Ptychozoon intermedium Taylor 1915 (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae): redescription, designation of a neotype, and comparisons
with related species. Herpetologica
53(3): 357–373.
Grismer, L.L., P.L. Jr. Wood, M.K. Thura,
M.S. Grismer, R.M. Brown & B.L. Stuart (2018). Geographically structured genetic variation in Ptychozoonlionotum (Squamata: Gekkonidae)
and a new species from an isolated volcano in Myanmar. Zootaxa
4514(2): 202–214. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4514.2.4
International Resources Group (IRG) (2012). Integrated Protected Area Co-Management (IPAC): State
of Bangladesh’s Forest Protected Areas 2010. Nishorgo Network, USAID,
35pp.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) (2018). Ptychozoon lionotum: e.T177831A103308608. Downloaded on 30
September 2020. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T177831A103308608.en
Nishat, A., S.I. Huq, S.P. Barua,
A.H.M.A. Reza & A.M. Khan (2002).Bio-ecological zones of Bangladesh. The World Conservation Union (IUCN), Dhaka,
Bangladesh, 141pp.
Pawar, S.S. & S.Biswas
(2001). First record of the Smoothbacked Parachute Gecko Ptychozoonlionotum
Annandale, 1905 from the Indian Mainland. Asiatic Herpetological
Research 9: 101–106.
Uetz, P., P. Freed & J. Hošek
(eds.) (2020). The Reptile Database.
http://www.reptile-database.org, accessed on 25 September 2020.
Wood, P.L., X. Guo, S.L. Travers,
Y.C. Su, K.V. Olson, A.M. Bauer, L.L. Grismer, C.D.
Siler, R.G. Moyle, M.J. Andersen & R.M. Brown (2020). Parachute geckos free fall into synonymy: Gekko phylogeny, and a new subgeneric
classification, inferred from thousands of ultraconserved
elements. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 146: 106731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106731