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| Bornean species of rock geckos. A—Cnemaspis kendallii | B—Cnemaspis nigridia | D—Cnemaspis paripari | E—Cnemaspis leucura | G—Cnemaspis Sp. 2 | H—Cnemaspis Sp. 3. in Nashriq & Das, 2021. |
Abstract
The paraphyletic group of Old World rock gecko genus Cnemaspis, currently comprises ~180 described species from Africa and Asia. The south-east Asian clade with 63 described species, is most diverse on the Thai-Malay Peninsula, with just five species known from Borneo, an island biodiversity hotspot. Karst regions are known as centres for species endemism, and vast areas of caves and karst exist across northern Borneo. Fieldwork from 2017 to 2020 recovered additional undescribed species of Cnemaspis from areas of karst forests in western and northern Sarawak. These discoveries emphasize the importance of preserving areas of limestone karst within rainforest areas for maintaining species diversity, as well as accelerating research on documenting the biota.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Borneo, Cnemaspis, Karst, Sarawak, Systematics
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| Cnemaspis paripari, photographed at Wind Cave, Sarawak. photo: Indraneil Das. |
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| Bornean species of rock geckos. A—Cnemaspis kendallii | B—Cnemaspis nigridia | C—Cnemaspis dringi | D—Cnemaspis paripari| E—Cnemaspis leucura | F—Cnemaspis Sp. 1 | G—Cnemaspis Sp. 2 | H—Cnemaspis Sp. 3. photo: A, B, D, F, H—Indraneil Das; C—Joshua Matta; E—Pui Yong Min; G—Hayden Davis |
Izneil Nashriq and Indraneil Das. 2021. Underestimated Diversity of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) on Karst Landscapes in Sarawak, East Malaysia, Borneo. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 13(7); 18792–18799. DOI: 10.11609/jott.7195.13.7.18792-18799.
Kumpulan paraphyletic cicak batu genus Cnemaspis dari Dunia Lama, kini dianggarkan mempunyai ~180 spesis dikenal pasti dari Afrika dan Asia. Klad Asia tenggara dengan 63 spesis terhurai, dilihat lebih pelbagai di semenanjung Thai-Malay, dengan hanya lima spesis dikenal pasti dari Borneo, sebuah pulau kaya dengan kepelbagaian hidupan. Kawasan batu kapur diketahui sebagai kawasan tumpuan spesis endemik, dengan jumlah bilangan kawasan gua dan batu kapur yang besar di utara Borneo. Kerja lapangan daripada 2017 hingga 2020 telah menambahkan bilangan spesis Cnemaspis dari kawasan hutan batu kapur di barat dan utara Sarawak. Penemuan ini menekankan kepentingan memelihara kawasan batu kapur dalam hutan hujan tropika untuk menjaga kepelbagaian spesis, serta meningkatkan kajian dan dokumentasi biota.
