Soon after the description of the Sail Mountain Dragon (Japalura vela) from eastern Tibet, China, two more new species of Japalura, namely J. laeviventris and J. iadina, were described from the approximate same region in the Hengduan Mountain Range of China. Despite the distinct scalation and coloration, the two new species have long been confused with a known congener, J. flaviceps. Like other...

A new species of dragon lizard was discovered from the valleys Eastern Tibet, PR China, which provides further information about the biogeography of the river system in the region. As the direct result of continental collision, the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions provide an ideal system to investigate how complex geographic events affect the evolution of living organisms. However, because of...

A new species of the agamid genus Japalura is described based on 15 specimens from the upper Lancang (Mekong) Valley of eastern Tibet, PR China. Populations of the new species, Japalura vela sp. nov., were previously recognized as J. flaviceps. The new species is morphologically most similar to J. batangensis, J. micangshanensis, J. variegata, and J. zhaoermii, but is distinguished from the...

In this paper, a new species of nematode helminth parasite is described: Cosmocerca leytensis. In addition, this paper represents the first descriptive list of parasites found in the gecko, Cytodactylus gubuaot, which is known to reside only on the Leyte Island of the Philippines. Although C. leytensis is the 30th species within the genus, it is the first to be found from...

Cosmocerca leytensis sp. nov. (Ascaridida, Cosmocercidae) from the large intestine of Cyrtodactylus gubaot (Squamata: Gekkonidae) collected on Leyte Island, Philippines is described and illustrated. Cosmocerca leytensis sp. nov. is the 30th species assigned to the genus, the 4th from the Oriental region, and the first from the Philippine Islands. The new species is most similar to those species possessing 4 pairs of...

Recent investigations into the species diversity of false geckos (genus Pseudogekko Taylor) have revealed several cryptic species, highlighting the need for a more thorough understanding of diversity within this enigmatic genus of endemic Philippine geckos. Newly available genetic data reveal that two of the four currently recognized species are complexes of mul- tiple deeply divergent evolutionary lineages. In this paper we evaluate...

Gecko lizards in the Philippines are quite diverse covering multiple genera, body types, and sizes, yet much of that diversity has gone undocumented.  Pseudogekko is an example of a little known Philippine endemic genus, with only four representative species.  Recent field surveys by Dr. Siler and colleagues have resulted in new  data indicating that these four species should be split into multiple others, based...

The Philippines is home to a remarkable number of species of amphibians and reptiles. This amazing diversity is often due to the complex geological history of this archipelago with islands cyclically being isolated and then reconnected, as sea levels would fluctuate. One group of reptiles with a remarkable amount of morphological and genetic diversity is the Philippine Slender Skinks of the genus...

Recent phylogenetic analysis of false geckos, genus Pseudogekko, revealed unrecognized diversity within these exceedingly rare and enigmatic Philippine forest geckos. Newly available genetic datasets revealed that two of the four currently recognized species are complexes of multiple, deeply divergent evolutionary lineages. In this paper we evaluate species diversity in the Pseudogekko compresicorpus Complex and describe three new species in this unique clade of endemic Philippine...

We describe two new species of morphologically cryptic monitor lizards (genus Varanus) from the Philippine Archipelago: Varanus dalubhasa sp. nov. and V. bangonorum sp. nov. These two distinct evolutionary lineages are members of the V. salvator species complex, and historically have been considered conspecific with the widespread, northern Philippine V. marmoratus. However, the new species each share closer phylogenetic affinities with V....

There are only four groups of scincid lizards at the genus level which have species that are fully limbed as well as species without limbs. All species are known to burrow and live in dry, rotting material inside decaying logs or in loose soil and leaves. Many different populations within the genus Brachymeles look very similar, so identifying separate species within this...