Among the six species of Cyrtodactylus occurring in Sumatra, two species were described based on non-Sumatran type series, C.consobrinus and C.quadrivirgatus. The latter species was described originally from Thailand thus the wider distribution in Sumatra should be clarified taxonomically. Cyrtodactylusquadrivirgatus from Sumatra Barat was examined using both morphology and the Natrium Dehydrogenase Subunit 2 (ND2) gene to clarify its taxonomic status and phylogenetic placement. It was found that these specimens form a sister clade to all other species of the sworderi group from Peninsular Malaysia and the genetic distance ranges from 20-24.3%. This subset is herein described as a new species. The new species is readily distinguished from C.quadrivirgatus and other Sumatran species by a combination of characters: small size SVL 37.5-53.78 mm; longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles 16-19; paravertebral tubercles 31-41; ventral scales 32-43; 24-49 enlarged precloacal and femoral scales; precloacal pores rarely present; no precloacal depression; two postcloacal tubercles on each side; 14-19 subdigital lamellae on forth toe; 9-15 supralabial scales; 9-12 infralabial scales; three or four internasal scales; and 3-6 gular scales that border the first pair of postmental scales. This work underscores the importance of clarifying widely distributed species for taxonomic validation.
Keywords: Distribution; ND2 gene; evolution; molecular; morphology; systematics; taxonomy.
Yuni Ahda, Fitra Arya Dwi Nugraha, Djong Hon Tjong, Nia Kurniawan, Yunico Amardi, Muhammad Alif Fauzi, Si-Min Lin.