DILI, 08 february 2023 (TATOLI) – A new species of limestone-dwelling Bent-toed gecko (genus Cyrtodactylus) is found in the Nino Konis Santana National Park, Lautem Municipality, located in the far-east region of Timor-Leste.
Cyrtodactylus santana sp. nov. occurs in Lene Hara and Napana Wei caves within NKS. The nearest village is Tutuala in the municipality of Lautém.
The new species was found in August 2022, during a joint biological survey by the Lee Kong Chian Museum of Natural History (Singapore), Conservation International, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of Timor-Leste.
The Head of the Research Group, Kin Onn Chan revealed that the identification of the new species of bent-toed gecko began with the examination of several external characteristics, including the measurements of body size, limb length, head length, etc; and also, color pattern characters (bands on body, etc.): “I then searched through published literature and compared the characters to see if they matched an existing species. I also analyzed the DNA of the new species and compared that with the DNA of other existing species. Using both external morphological characters and DNA sequences, I was able to determine that the gecko did not correspond to any existing species and thus, it was described as a new species.”
He described that the new species is different in terms of certain external characteristics such as having large spines (called tubercles) on the body, no distinct patterns on the head (other species have blotches), and unique whitish bands on the body: “It is also genetically distinct from other species.”
The new species is a distinct evolutionary lineage that is closely related to C. batucolus, C. seribuatensis, C. petani, and C. sadleiri.
According to the phylogenetic analysis based on the ND2 mitochondrial gene inferred the new species is part of the C. darmandvillei group with close genetic affinities to C. batucolus, C. seribuatensis, C. petani, C. sadleiri, and two undescribed lineages from the Moluccas in Indonesia.
As explained in an article co-written by Chan and his colleagues, the new species represents the first species of Cyrtodactylus identified at the species level from Timor-Leste and fills an important gap in the understanding of the biogeography and evolutionary history of Cyrtodactylus, especially in the Wallacean region.
Based on currently available data, Cyrtodactylus santana sp. nov. is a nocturnal species occurring in limestone caves in the lowland tropical forest of NKS.
The Bent-toed gecko was named (Cyrtodactylus Santana) after the Nino Konis Santa National Park. The name of the park was given after Timor-Leste’s Guerrilla commander, Nino Konis Santana, in honor of his dedication and sacrifices to the independence of the half-island country.
“The name of a species usually reflects certain aspects of the species such as its character (e.g., the way it looks, its behavior, etc.), the place in which it is found, or sometimes named after an influential person. In this case, the name Santana reflects both the place in which it was found (NKS), which also happens to honor the person Nino Konis Santana. I suggested the name and the rest of the research team agreed to it,” Chan said.
The larger distribution of this species is not yet known but it likely occurs in other limestone caves within NKS.
Chan expects that there may be new species around to be identified in the future: “Based on our results and also the results of past studies conducted by other researchers, I am certain that there are many more new species that have not been discovered and described in Timor-Leste.”
“A similar-looking gecko was found on Atauro island several years ago but it was not properly identified. The Atauro gecko may be the same species and if so, it means that the new species occurs elsewhere in Timor-Leste. This is something we are currently working on and we hope to get some results in the coming months,” Chan stressed.
Chan described his emotions as thrilling after the discovery of the new species.
“It was exhilarating because we discovered a new lineage of life that was previously unknown to science. The discovery also represents another lineage that can be added to the tree of life and contributes to our overall understanding of the biodiversity of Timor-Leste and the surrounding region,” he explained.
Chan and his colleagues have planned to conduct more biological surveys not only in NKS but also in other parts of the island.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
