<p><strong>The discovery and description of a new species of Bent-toed Gecko of  </strong><strong>the <em>Cyrtodactylus</em> <em>pulchellus</em> complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the </strong><strong>Langkawi Archipelago, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia</strong></p>

Abstract

A new species of limestone karst-adapted gecko of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex, C. dayangbuntingensis sp. nov., is described from Dayang Bunting Island of the Langkawi Archipelago off the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the third species of the group to be described from the archipelago after C. langkawiensis and C. macrotuberculatus. The new species can be distinguished from all other species of Cyrtodactylus based on molecular evidence from the mitochondrial gene ND2 and its flanking tRNAs as well as having unique combinations of morphological and color pattern characteristics. This discovery underscores the need for continued surveys of the many islands in the archipelago to properly ascertain its true herpetological diversity.