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| Living specimen of adult male Cyrtodactylus sumonthai, sp. nov. (IRSNB 2624, holotype) from Khao Wong, Rayong Province, eastern Thailand. Note the slender habitus, elongate tail and digits and banded color pattern. Photo by Lawan Chanhome |
A new species of the gekkonid lizard genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 is described on the basis of material collected in limestone caves at Khao Wong, Rayong Province, Thailand. It is characterized by a slender body, elongate tail and digits, small number (12) of rows of dorsal tubercles, and enlarged patch of precloacal scales bearing only two precloacal pores. The new species is the second tropical Asian Cyrtodactylus believed to be largely associated with cave environments and is the twelfth species of the genus thus far recorded from Thailand.
Key words: Cyrtodactylus sumonthai, sp. nov.; Gekkonidae; description; cave-dwelling
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| Living specimen of juvenile Cyrtodactylus sumonthai, sp. nov. (IRSNB 2626, paratype) from Tham Tao, Khao Wong, Rayong Province, Thailand. Note the conspicuous differences between the juvenile and adult color patterns. The specimen was approximately two weeks old when photographed, but was not preserved until it died at approximately seven weeks of age. Photo by Lawan Chanhome. |
Etymology.– The specific epithet is a partonym honoring Mr. Montri Sumontha of the Ranong Marine Fisheries Station, who collected the type series of the new species.
Distribution and Natural History.– Cyrtodactylus sumonthai is known only from a single mountain, Khao Wong in Rayong Province, southeastern Thailand, which is riddled with limestone caves.
Bauer, A.M., Pauwels, O.S.G. & Chanhome, L. 2002. A New Species of Cave-dwelling Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Thailand. Natural History Journal of Chulalongkorn University, 2 (2): 19-29
