A new species of the Cyrtodactylus irregularis group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak Province, Central Highlands of Vietnam

A new species is described based on seven specimens of Cyrtodactylus (Family: Gekkonidae) collected from the Chu Yang Sin National Park, Dak Lak Province, Central Highlands, Vietnam. The new species is placed within the Cyrtodactylus irregularis group and can be distinguished from its closest related species and other congeners of the group by the following combination of morphological characters: a maximum SVL 92.3 mm; supralabials 10–12; infralabials 8–10; dorsal tubercle rows at midbody 12–15; ventral scale rows 38–48; subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe 16–21; enlarged femoral scales from each thigh 6–9; enlarged precloacal scales 19–24; precloacal pores in males seven or eight and females 0–6; enlarged subcaudals lacking; small, irregularly shaped dark-brown blotches on top of head; a slender, dark-colored V shaped nuchal loop with a concave anterior border and convex posterior border extending across the nape to the posterior margins of the orbits; dorsal body banding divided into paravertebral elements; dark-colored dorsal body bands narrower than pale dorsal interspaces and irregularly shaped.

Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the new species is closely related to C. phnomchiensis and C. ziegleri, with a minimum genetic distance of 7.0% from these species.