Meeting Abstract
Gliding geckos from the genus Ptychozoon are nested within a clade of chiefly Indo-Pacific gekkotans including Lepidodactylus, Pseudogekko, Luperosaurus, and Gekko. Recent molecular analyses indicate the non-monophyly of three of these genera (Gekko, Lepidodactylus, and Luperosaurus), suggesting the need for significant taxonomic rearrangement in this part of the gekkotan tree. Here we study a sample of 31 species representing all major subgroups within this clade. Whole body microCT data (CT and diceCT) was studied using a phenotypic data set of 863 traits. Using the current molecular hypothesis and taxonomy as a framework, we mapped morphological variation using the ACCTRAN optimization. The monophyly of this clade is supported by 3 non-ambiguous traits, 1) frontal interorbital/frontoparietal suture width ranging from 36-40%, 2) frontal supraorbital shelf demarcated medially by narrow shallow longitudinal furrow often bearing row of foramina, 3) frontal supraorbital shelf oriented dorsolaterally. The genus Ptychozoon is diagnosed by the lack of contact between the parietal and the supraoccipital, and several other characters may support recognition of this genus (low neural spines, expanded carpus, and extensive body flaps). The node ((((G. badenni, G. grossmanni) G. preticolus) (Luperosaurus iskandari, Gekko vitattus)) Ptychozoon) was supported by having the first sacral rib overlapping the acetabulum. This preliminary study has the potential to provide diagnostic characters required to resolve the taxonomy of this clade of Indo-Pacific gekkotans, and to understand better the morphological changes in gliding geckos.
