Abstract
The Psychedelic Rock Gecko,Cnemaspispsychedelica, was described in 2010 and certainly belongs to the most spectacular gecko discoveries worldwide. The species is endemic to two small offshore islands in Rach Gia Bay. Its striking colour pattern makes the species highly attractive for the international pet market. The existentCnemaspispopulation is negatively affected by habitat degradation and predation by introduced macaques. We herein provide the first characterisation of microhabitat selection of this species, including seasonal variation on Hon Khoai and Hon Tuong islands, Ca Mau Province, Vietnam. We found that characteristics of the selected microhabitat, such as substrate type, temperature and canopy cover slightly differed between the wet and dry seasons. We also demonstrated age-related differences in the selection of perch heights. Communal nesting was, for the first time, reported forC.psychedelica, as well as natural predation by a snake species (Lycodoncapucinus). In addition, we documented ongoing habitat destruction on Hon Khoai Island and recorded illegal trade of live Psychedelic Rock Geckos for the first time on local pet markets in both northern and southern Vietnam. Our findings highlight the need for improved conservation measures in order to reduce anthropogenic impacts on wild populations ofC.psychedelica.
Highlights
The old world gecko genus Cnemaspis Strauch is considered as one of the most speciesrich paleotropical gekkonid genera, encompassing more than 100 species with a widespread distribution throughout tropical Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia (Smith 1935, Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa 2007, Ganesh et al 2011, Uetz and Hošek 2017, Vidanapathirana et al 2014, Srinivasulu et al 2015)
Relative humidity at microsites was with 86.2 ± 6.1% (71–100%, n = 156), distinctly higher during the wet season compared to 73.3 ± 2.56% (65–80%, n = 413) during the dry season (t-Test, t = 25.4, df = 175.9, P < 0.001)
We found that selected microhabitat characteristics such as substrate type, temperature and canopy cover slightly differed between the wet and dry seasons
Summary
The old world gecko genus Cnemaspis Strauch is considered as one of the most speciesrich paleotropical gekkonid genera, encompassing more than 100 species with a widespread distribution throughout tropical Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia (Smith 1935, Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa 2007, Ganesh et al 2011, Uetz and Hošek 2017, Vidanapathirana et al 2014, Srinivasulu et al 2015). Six species of Cnemaspis have been recorded from Vietnam, namely C. aurantiacopes, C. boulengeri, C. caudanivea, C. nuicamensis, C. tucdupensis and C. psychedelica. Two of these from Vietnam are endemic to islands (Grismer and Ngo 2007, Grismer et al 2010). One of them is the insular Psychedelic Rock Gecko, Cnemaspis psychedelica, which was only described from isolated Hon Khoai Island, Ca Mau Province, Southern Vietnam in 2010 (Grismer et al 2010). More recently C. psychedelica was recorded on a further offshore island, namely Hon Tuong isle, which only covers a small area of ca. The species is assumed to be endemic to islands of Rach Gia Bay, southern Vietnam
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