Geographic distribution of the family Gekkonidae in Northern Vietnam: Red River as an important natural barrier

Abstract

Northern Vietnam, the geographic region located in the north of Lam River of Nghe An Province, is the place where new species discoveries in the family Gekkonidae have been recorded in recent years. However, many sites in the region have not been studied thoroughly, especially the northern limestone mountains near border areas among Vietnam, Laos, and China which belong to Ha Giang, Lai Chau, and Son La Provinces. To further investigate the gecko diversity and their evolution in the Northern Vietnam, the authors sequenced a mitochondrial gene, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2), for evolutionary distinct lineages of two karstadapted groups, Gekko palmatus and Hemiphyllodactylus in the region. The results showed that several undescribed lineages of both Gekko palmatus and Hemiphyllodactylus were genetically distinct, illustrating the high level of cryptic diversity within Gekkonidae in the region. In addition, based on the derived phylogenetic hypothesis, the preliminary results suggested that Red River might play an important role in separating lineages of Hemiphyllodactylus from western and eastern sides of the river. However, this well-known natural barrier exhibited almost no impact on disrupting gene flows between populations of Gekko palmatus from two sides of the river. It is concluded that Red River does not serve as a natural barrier for all species distributed in the Northern Vietnam.