According to Anhui University, the research group of Professor Zhang Baowei of the School of Life Sciences of the university was previously at the junction of Anhui Province and Henan Province in the Dabie Mountain areaA gecko that "likes to bite" was discoveredBased on the results of molecular systematics and morphology, it was confirmed that it is a new speciesIt was named the Dabie Mountain Gecko。The results of the study were recently published in the international journal "Animal" by researchers from Anhui University, Nanjing Normal University, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and other researchers.
From 2022 to 2023, the research group of Professor Zhang Baowei of the School of Life Sciences of Anhui University collected several gecko specimens at the junction of Anhui Province and Henan Province in the Dabie Mountain area, which attracted the attention of researchers because of their strong aggressive behavior。"It's very aggressive, which is not often seen in native geckos. ”Zhang Caiwen, the first author of the study and a doctoral student in the School of Life Sciences of Anhui University, said. Previously, there were 3 species of geckos recorded in the Dabie Mountain area:Lead mountain geckos, wart geckos, webless geckos.
The Dabie Mountain gecko is biting the researcher's finger and not letting go. (Photo courtesy of Professor Zhang Baowei's research group of Anhui University).
Through the study of three mitochondrial gene fragments, the researchers found that this new species of gecko from the Dabie Mountain region is an independent clade in the phylogenetic tree. Based on principal component analysis and one-way analysis of variance, the results showed that there were significant morphological differences between the gecko and its close relative, the gecko of Leadshan, and the gecko could be distinguished by morphological differences such as wart scales on the limbs, more preanal holes, and more wart scales between the eyes and ears. The discovery of this new species of gecko has increased the number of gecko species to 87, and also increased the number of gecko species in China to 22 species.
Gecko habitat and ecological photo of Dabie Mountain. (Photo courtesy of Professor Zhang Baowei's research group of Anhui University).
Dabie Mountain is located at the junction of Anhui, Hubei and Henan provinces, and is the watershed of the Yangtze River and Huaihe River, and the diversified environment provides favorable conditions for the growth and habitat of a variety of animals and plants. The discovery of new species not only increases the level of biodiversity in China, but also suggests that there are still many unknown species waiting to be explored and studied in the vast land of China.
*: Xinhua News Agency Editor: Lin Li.
Editor-in-charge: Huang Yangyang.