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Issue: Vol. 5601 No. 2: 7 Mar. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-03-07
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5601.2.10
Page range: 368-376
Abstract views: 157
PDF downloaded: 13

A new species of Lepidodactylus (Gekkonidae) from Misima Island, Papua New Guinea

School of Environment and Science; Griffith University; 170 Kessels Rd; Brisbane; Queensland; 4121; Biodiversity and Geosciences Program; Queensland Museum; South Brisbane; Queensland; 4101; Australia
Herpetology Department; South Australian Museum; North Terrace; Adelaide; South Australia; 5000; Australia
Reptilia endemism Lepidodactylus novaeguineae group Lepidodactylus orientalis group littoral forest Milne Bay Biodiversity hotspot

Abstract

We describe a new species of gecko in the Lepidodactylus novaeguineae group from Misima Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. Lepidodactylus exoris sp. nov. can be distinguished from congeners by aspects of body size, toe shape, scalation and colouration. This discovery provides the first confirmed instance of L. novaeguineae group and L. orientalis group species on the same island, and further emphasises high herpetofaunal endemism in the recently delimited Milne Bay Province Biodiversity Hotspot of far eastern Papua New Guinea.

 

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