Two new grass lizard species, previously confused with Takydromus formosanus, were identified in Taiwan using mitochondrial DNA sequences. In the present study, 40 morphological characters and their taxonomic significances were assessed using principal components analysis and discriminant analysis. The three species can be distinguished by morphology of body sizes, dorsal and caudal scales, and most importantly, by male coloration during the breeding seasons. The present study increases the total number of Takydromus to 19 species, of which 10 are insular endemics, with six only occurring in Taiwan.
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1 September 2008
Two New Cryptic Species of Takydromus (Squamata: Lacertidae) from Taiwan
Kuang-Yang Lue,
Si-Min Lin
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Herpetologica
Vol. 64 • No. 3
September 2008
Vol. 64 • No. 3
September 2008
allopatric speciation
biogeography
courtship
cryptic species
sexual dichromatism
sexual dimorphism