A New Species of the Genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Hubei, China

Here, we described Gekko ( Japonigekko) ichangensis sp. nov., a new member of the genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768, based on specimens collected from Changyang Tujia Autonomous County, Yichang City, Hubei Province, China. Morphological comparisons and phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial cytb and 16S genes place the new species within the subgenus Japonigekko, clustering with G. ( J.) wenxianensis. The new species differs from other Japonigekko congeners by the following set of characteristics: (1) moderate body size (snout-vent length 58.5–66.5 mm in adult individuals); (2) nostrils touching the rostral, with 1–2 internasals present; (3) tubercles distributed on the head, dorsum, limbs, and tail, excluding the upper forelimbs; (4) 174–195 ventral scales spanning from the mental to the cloacal slit; (5) 39–47 rows of ventral scales; (6) 12–15 subdigital lamellae under the first toes and 13–18 under the fourth toes; (7) weakly developed webbing; (8) 5–8 precloacal pores in males; (9) three unilateral postcloacal tubercles; (10) a brown dorsum with six broad, irregular dark-brown bands extending from the nape to the sacrum. The identification of this new species raises the number of described Gekko species to 90. In China, 25 species are recorded, 21 of which belong to the subgenus Japonigekko.