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Two species of Whalleya from Guizhou and Hainan Provinces were collected during the investigation of Xylariales from 2019 to 2021. According to morphological and molecular characteristics, Whalleya hainanensis sp. nov. and W. microplaca are introduced. Whalleya hainanensis differs from W. microplaca by its obovoid or tubular perithecia and the slightly raised stromata; and differs from W. maculata by its smaller ascospores. Their detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations are provided. The taxonomic position of Whalleya is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continental islands are often dynamic in regard to the origin and evolution of their biota. Although colonizations from mainland Southeast Asia to Hainan Island have been reported, the role of Hainan Island as a source for continental biota has not been considered. Goniurosaurus is a genus comprised of nocturnal ground geckos. We reexamined the evolutionary history of Goniurosaurus using both molecular phylogenetics and morphological comparisons. All phylogenetic trees recovered G. zhoui as sister to G. hainanensis  +  G. lichtenfelderi , which together are the sister lineage of G. bawanglingensis . The recovery of this “Hainan clade” contradicts previous classifications that placed G. bawanglingensis within the G. luii group. Moreover, ancestral trait reconstruction revealed that body band number might have decreased two or three times independently within Goniurosaurus from four to three. The divergence between the continental G. luii group and the Hainan clade was estimated at ∼34.7 Mya (CI = 22.3–48.6), possibly correlating with the vicariance event between Hainan Island and the mainland. G. lichtenfelderi diverged from G. hainanensis very recently, which might be associated with a historical dispersal event from Hainan Island to Vietnam during glacial periods. Our study improves the understanding of Goniurosaurus systematics and reveals the important role of Hainan Island in bidirectional colonizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]