This study aims to confirm the taxonomic identity of gecko specimens collected in Yunnan Province, China, and determine whether they represent a new reptile record for the province. On July 24, 2023, two gecko specimens were collected in the Hekou Yao Autonomous County within the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, China. First, they were identified based on morphological characteristics described by Boulenger (1907) and Song et al. (2024). Then, phylogenetic analyses based on maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) approaches were performed using the 16S rRNA gene to assess genetic relationships among all the species used in this study. Finally, genetic distances were calculated via the uncorrected pairwise distance (p-distance) model in MEGA X. Morphological comparison suggests that the new specimens are Gekko palmatus:nares in contact with the rostral, with 1 or 2 internasals; tubercles present on dorsum but absent on the limbs; webbings between the fingers and toes well developed; 21 or 25 precloacal pores in males; one postcloacal tubercle on each side of the tail base; a pair of dark-brown plaques on the occiput; 4 or 5 dark-brown stripes from the nape to the caudal base (Fig. 2, Table 2). Phylogenetic analyses also reveal that these specimens cluster with G. palmatus (Fig. 3), with high node supports (ultrafast bootstrap approximation, UFB 98; Bayesian posterior probability, BPP 1.00). Moreover, the genetic distance between the newly collected specimens from Yunnan and those from other locations is 0.5%, which is significantly lower than the genetic distances (ranging from 2.6% to 17.6%) among other species within the subgenus Japonigekko (Table 3). Both the morphological characteristics and phylogenetic insights identify the specimens as G. palmatus, which represents the first documented occurrence of this species in Yunnan Province, China. This finding expands the known distribution of G. palmatus and contributes to the herpetofaunal diversity records of this region.