A new species of gecko was discovered in the River Giang basin, Khanh Hoa province

18/11/2022

Scientists from the Vietnam National Museum of Nature, together with Russian and German scientists, have discovered a new species of gecko in the River Giang basin, Khanh Hoa province. The newly named species is the Rag-Lai gecko, the scientific name is Cyrtodactylus raglai, which is closely related to the geckos Cyrtodactylus kingsadai and Cyrtodactylus cryptus. The new species name "raglai" is used to refer to the Raglai ethnic group, in Khanh Hoa province, living where the new species was found. In the Raglai language, the word "raglai" also means "forest", this also means to emphasize the importance of the forest ecosystem to the people here.

The Rag-Lai gecko (Cyrtodactylus raglai). Photo by Nguyen Anh The

The distribution range of the Rag-Lai gecko is very narrow, endemic to riverine granite cave habitats with cave-adapted evolutionary features. The ecology of the River Giang basin and surrounding river areas is being affected by human activities, so studies on biodiversity here should be carried out soon to obtain important data, promoting species conservation efforts in the region.

The original description was published in the journal: Vertebrate Zoology 71, 2021, 155–174. Doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.71.e60225

News: Duong Van Tang, Vietnam National Museum of Nature, VAST
Link to Vietnamese version