Goniurosaurus Species in China

Introduction

Goniurosaurus, a genus of geckos in the family Eublepharidae, contains 18 primarily nocturnal gecko species. Goniurosaurus species have eyelids, which is a unique trait of the Eublepharidae family. However, they do not have the specialized toe pads like common house geckos. As a result, they cannot climb smooth and vertical surfaces.

China has 10 or 11 species of Goniurosaurus. Three can found in Hainan Island: Goniurosaurus hainanensis (G. hainanensis), G. bawanglingensis, and G. zhoui (a new species reported by Runbang Zhou et al. in 2018). Five can be find in Guangxi: G. kwangsiensis, G. kadoorieorum, G. liboensis, G. araneus, and G. luii, the last two can also be found in north Vietnam.

In this project, we photographed Goniurosaurus species of Hainan and Guangxi to raise awareness of these beautiful species. We hope our work could contribute to the their protection and the conservation of their habitats.

Gallery 01: Natural Environment in Hainan