HAIKOU, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- A new species of Goniurosaurus, a genus of gecko, has been found in southern China's Hainan Province, with the study published in the Journal of Shihezi University, a local research institute said.
The new species, Goniurosaurus sinensis, was found by Chinese researchers in karst areas at an elevation of about 800 meters in the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, as China emphasizes more on basic research and environmental protection.
The snout-vent length of Goniurosaurus sinensis ranges from 98.64 mm to 105.7 mm. They are very appealing with unique features, such as a brown back with irregular dark brown spots and four horizontal black-rimmed yellow stripes in adult geckos.
Zhou Runbang with the Hainan Forestry Department and Peng Xiaopeng with the Chinese Academy of Forestry confirmed the distinctiveness of the new species, the latest member of the Goniurosaurus lichtenfelderi species group.
Two species of the group were discovered from 1897 to 1908. No new member has been added into the list in the past 111 years until the discovery of Goniurosaurus sinensis.
The discovery of the new species can help verify the important role of continental islands in the formation of species diversity, Zhou said.
