biostudies-literatureUnknown1139Chan KOA new species of limestone-dwelling Bent-toed gecko (genus <i>Cyrtodactylus</i>) is described from Nino Konis Santana National Park in the far-east region of Timor-Leste. Both genetic and morphological data strongly support the evolutionary distinctness of the new species, which we describe herein as <i>Cyrtodactylussantana</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> Phylogenetic analysis based on the ND2 mitochondrial gene inferred the new species as part of the <i>C.darmandvillei</i> group with close genetic affinities to <i>C.batucolus</i>, <i>C.seribuatensis</i>, <i>C.petani</i>, <i>C.sadleiri</i>, and two undescribed lineages from the Moluccas in Indonesia. The new species represents the first species of <i>Cyrtodactylus</i> identified at the species level from Timor-Leste and fills an important gap in our understanding of the biogeography and evolutionary history of <i>Cyrtodactylus</i> especially in the Wallacean region. Our results strongly suggest that the diversity of <i>Cyrtodactylus</i> in Wallacea is still underestimated and many more unnamed species remain to be described.ZooKeys107-126https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9850252biostudies-literatureScratching the surface: a new species of Bent-toed gecko (Squamata, Gekkonidae, <i>Cyrtodactylus</i>) from Timor-Leste of the <i>darmandvillei</i> group marks the potential for future discoveries.PMC9850252Chan KOLoke FWPinto PConaboy NGrismer LLSantana FfalseScratching the surface: a new species of Bent-toed gecko (Squamata, Gekkonidae, <i>Cyrtodactylus</i>) from Timor-Leste of the <i>darmandvillei</i> group marks the potential for future discoveries.A new species of limestone-dwelling Bent-toed gecko (genus <i>Cyrtodactylus</i>) is described from Nino Konis Santana National Park in the far-east region of Timor-Leste. Both genetic and morphological data strongly support the evolutionary distinctness of the new species, which we describe herein as <i>Cyrtodactylussantana</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> Phylogenetic analysis based on the ND2 mitochondrial gene inferred the new species as part of the <i>C.darmandvillei</i> group with close genetic affinities to <i>C.batucolus</i>, <i>C.seribuatensis</i>, <i>C.petani</i>, <i>C.sadleiri</i>, and two undescribed lineages from the Moluccas in Indonesia. The new species represents the first species of <i>Cyrtodactylus</i> identified at the species level from Timor-Leste and fills an important gap in our understanding of the biogeography and evolutionary history of <i>Cyrtodactylus</i> especially in the Wallacean region. Our results strongly suggest that the diversity of <i>Cyrtodactylus</i> in Wallacea is still underestimated and many more unnamed species remain to be described.2023-01-01T00:00:00Z20232026-04-08T11:10:31.993Z2025-04-05T19:43:14.847ZS-EPMC98502523676128110.3897/zookeys.1139.96508