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| Cnemaspis gunasekarai Amarasinghe, Karunarathna, Madawala & de Silva, 2021 |
Abstract
We investigated diminutive day geckos of the genus Cnemaspis in Sri Lanka, and based on morphological evidence, two populations belonging to the C. alwisi group within the C. podihuna clade are described. Both populations are morphologically closely allied to C. hitihamii, but can be clearly distinguished based on a combination of morphological characters, hence named here as two new species. The two new species occur respectively in (i) lowland dryzone (alt. 385 m a.s.l.) forests which have a dense tree cover in Ritigala Nature Reserve, Anuradhapura District and (ii) lowland wetzone (alt. 50 m a.s.l.) forests and adjacent human habitations which have a dense tree cover in Gampaha District, near Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. We also update the available key for these and previously recognized species from Sri Lanka, based on collected material and literature.
Key words: Colombo, Cnemaspis hitihamii, Ritigala Nature Reserve, urban biodiversity, taxonomy
Cnemaspis gunasekarai sp. nov.
Cnemaspis alwisi –– Agarwal et al. 2017
Diagnosis. The following combination of
characters distinguishes this new species from
all other congeners: adult males reaching 34.6
mm SVL, adult females reaching 31.1 mm SVL;
9–11 supralabials; dorsal granules
homogeneous, 117–126 paravertebral granules;
four or five spine-like tubercles on flanks;
throat, pectoral, and abdominal scales smooth;
119–127 ventrals; no precloacal pores and ten
femoral pores (per thigh) in males, 16
interfemoral scales; 89–95 midbody scales, 20–
22 ventral scale rows across belly; 19–21
subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; subcaudals
smooth, subhexagonal shaped, median row of
subcaudals greatly enlarged; the differences are
summarized for geographically close congeners
(Table 2) and for all Sri Lankan species in
Karunarathna et al. (2019c, and their table 9).
Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in
the genitive singular case, honoring a leading
environmental activist, conservationist, and
former Deputy Director of Sri Lanka Customs
(Government of Sri Lanka), Mr. Samantha
Gunasekara, for his dedication and contributions
to biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka, as
well as his generous friendship and support
towards the authors. His valuable contributions
to the Sri Lanka Customs Department in
controlling biodiversity trafficking, illegal pet
trade, and biopiracy, as well as to popularizing
conservation among the general public, are
highly commendable. Mr. Gunasekara is also a
senior member and a former president of the
Young Zoologists’ Association (YZA) of Sri
Lanka.
Suggested vernacular names are ගුණසේකරගේ දිවාසැරි හූනා and Gunasekara’s
Day-gecko, in Sinhala and English, respectively.
Cnemaspis gunawardanai sp. nov.
Cnemaspis cf. alwisi –– Amarasinghe et al. 2016,
Amarasinghe & Karunarathna 2020
Diagnosis. The following combination of
characters distinguishes the new species from all
other congeners: adult males reaching 37.4 mm
SVL, adult females reaching 40.5 mm SVL; 8 or
9 supralabials; dorsal granules homogeneous,
148–155 paravertebral granules; three or four
spine-like tubercles on flanks; throat, pectoral,
and abdominal scales smooth; 159–162 ventrals;
no precloacal pores and six or seven femoral
pores (per thigh) in males, 23 interfemoral
scales; 96–98 midbody scales, 25–27 ventral
scale rows across belly; 22 or 23 subdigital
lamellae on fourth toe; subcaudals smooth,
hexagonal shaped, median row of subcaudals
greatly enlarged; the differences are summarized
for geographically close congeners (Table 2) and
for all Sri Lankan species in Karunarathna et al.
(2019c, and their table 9).
Etymology. The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive singular case, honoring a leading environmental activist, conservationist, and a lawyer, Dr. Jagath Gunawardana for his major efforts and contributions to biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka, as well as his support, motivation, and encouragements for the first three authors to accomplish their research and career goals. His valuable contributions to popularizing environmental law among the general public are highly commendable. Currently he is an advisor to many government institutions such as Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Department of Wildlife Conservation and Department of Forestry etc. Dr. Gunawardana is also a senior member and a former instructer of the Young Zoologists’ Association (YZA) of Sri Lanka. Suggested vernacular names are ගුණවර්ධනගේ දිවාසැරි හූනා and Gunawardana’s Day-gecko, in Sinhala and English, respectively.
A.A. Thasun Amarasinghe, Suranjan Karunarathna, Majintha Madawala and Anslem de Silva. 2021. Two New Rupicolous Day Geckos of the Cnemaspis alwisi Group (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Sri Lanka. TAPROBANICA. 10(1); 23–38. DOI: 10.47605/tapro.v10i1.245
