Review of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka with the description of five new species

Abstract

Five new species of geckos are described from Sri Lanka by morphological comparison and morphometric analysis leading to review the genus Cnemaspis in the country. The type series of these species were identified from following localities: C. alwisi and C. kumarasinghei from the intermediate zone, C. retigalensis from the dry zone, C. molligodai from the lowland wet zone and C. samanalensis from the mountain region of the wet zone in the country. The high degree of endemicity (90%) shown by Cnemaspis in Sri Lanka could be attributed to geographical isolation. In addition, the taxonomic issue of C. jerdonii scalpensis is discussed and the species C. scalpensis is errected.

A new species of Cnemaspis (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Northern Karnataka, India

“…The Old World gecko genus Cnemaspis Strauch is one of the most speciose paleotropical gekkonid genera, comprising more than 100 species in tropical Africa, South Asia and South-east Asia (Ganesh et al 2011;Smith 1935;Wickramasinghe 2006;Wickramasinghe & Munindradasa 2007;Uetz & Hošek 2014;Vidanapathirana et al 2014). Most geckos of the genus Cnemaspis are cryptically-coloured, microhabitat specialists, mainly showing diurnal behavior, characterized by a diminutive, slender body, large forward-and upwardly-directed eyes with rounded pupils, and slender digits which are elongated, bent at an angle with the entire subdigital lamellae (Das 2005;Bauer et al 2006Bauer et al , 2007Giri et al 2009;Grismer et al 2009).…”

“…Among the most diverse areas for the Asian Cnemaspis are the hill ranges of southern India (Western Ghats, Shevaroy Hills, Southern Eastern Ghats) and the central hills of Sri Lanka (Smith 1935;Das & Bauer 2000;Bauer 2002). The genus Cnemaspis is represented by 23 species in mainland India: C. boiei (Gray); C. indica (Gray); C. mysoriensis (Jerdon); C. littoralis (Jerdon); C. jerdoni (Theobald); C. wynadensis (Beddome); C. gracilis (Beddome); C. ornata (Beddome); C. sisparensis (Theobald); C. beddomei (Theobald); C. goaensis Sharma; C. 2007;Giri et al 2009;Cyriac & Umesh, 2013Mirza et al 2014). Of these, 19 species are endemic to the Western Ghats, three are restricted to the Eastern Ghats…”

<strong>A new species of gecko of the genus <em>Cnemaspis</em> Strauch, 1887 from the Western Ghats, India</strong>

“…At least 17 species of this genus occur to the Western Ghats, with most restricted to the southern Western Ghats, and only a single recently described endemic in the northern Western Ghats (Giri et al 2009). The group is in need of taxonomic revision, and recent studies by Wickramasinghe & Munindradasa (2007) and Manamendra-Arachchi et al (2007) addressed a few issues relevant mostly to Sri Lankan lineages, while only partially addressing issues relevant to Indian populations. Giri et al (2009) have provided a summary of the present taxonomic scenario of this genus in India.…”

Reptile diversity of a fragmented lowland rain forest patch in Kukulugala, Ratnapura district, Sri Lanka

“…According to the IUCN SL & MENR (2007) 16 species of reptiles in Sri Lanka (including 12 endemics) are critically endangered, 23 (including 16 endemics) are endangered, 17 (including 9 endemics) are vulnerable, 25 (including 15 endemics) are near threatened and 47 (including 37 endemics) are data deficient. Based on published sources, a total of 208 species of reptiles are recorded from Sri Lanka and 118 (56.7 %) are known to be endemic to the island (De Silva, 2006;Maduwage et al, 2009;Wickramasinghe & Munindradasa, 2007;.…”