Genus Cnemaspis Research Articles

Assignment of Currently Misplaced Cnemaspis gordongekkoi das, 1993 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) to Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827

Generic placement of the Indonesian Cnemaspis gordongekkoi Das, 1993 is assessed. The current generic status of the species came under doubt when it was observed to possess a vertical pupil hitherto unknown for any Cnemaspis spp. Here it is transferred to the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827, a highly specious group of nocturnal geckos possessing vertical pupils, lacking dilated subdigital scansors and distributed sympatrically with Asian members of the genus Cnemaspis . Examination of museum specimens reveals other morphological characters that further support this reassignment. The fact that C. gordongekkoi has an atypical coloration when compared to the usually blotched or banded Cyrtodactylus spp. might have contributed to its initial misplacement in the genus Cnemaspis , which are relatively less strikingly patterned.

The first record of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Laos with the description of a new species

The first record of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Laos with the description of a new species

The first record of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Laos with the description of a new species

A new species of a presumably karst dwelling Rock Gecko, Cnemaspis laoensis sp. nov., is described from Dong Phu Vieng National Protected Area, Savannakhet Province, Laos. Cnemaspis laoensis is differentiated from all other Southeast Asian Cnemaspis in having a unique combination of color pattern (in alcohol) and scale characteristics. Cnemaspis laoensis is the first record of Cnemaspis from Laos and extends the range of this genus approximately 600 km to the northeast. Its presence in Laos underscores the need for continued exploration of karst habitats throughout Indochina were Cnemaspis commonly occur.

A new ground-dwelling species of Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India

A new species of gecko of the genus Cnemaspis is described from the forests of the Western Ghats region of Maharashtra. Cnemaspis kolhapurensis sp. nov. is diagnosable by the following combination of characters: dorsal scales homogenous, small and feebly keeled; no spine-like tubercles on flanks, ventrals smooth, imbricate, 20–23 scale rows across venter, between lowest rows of dorsal scales. Supralabial I narrowly contacting nasal. Paired postmentals separated by one or two enlarged gular scales. A continuous series of 24–28 precloacal-femoral pores. The continuous series of precloacal and femoral pores exhibited by this species is unique among Indian members of the genus.

A new species of karst dwelling gecko (genus Cnemaspis Strauch 1887) from the border region of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia

A new species of karst dwelling gecko (genus Cnemaspis Strauch 1887) from the border region of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia

A new species of karst dwelling gecko (genus Cnemaspis Strauch 1887) from the border region of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia

A new species of karst dwelling gecko, Cnemaspis biocellata sp. nov. is described from the border region in the Satun Province of southern Thailand and the state of Perlis in northern Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis biocellata sp. nov. is differentiated from all other species of Southeast Asian Cnemaspis by having a maximum SVL of 40.1 mm; 6–10 supralabials; 5–7 infralabials; weakly keeled scales on anterior portion of forearm; smooth ventral scales; no femoral pores; 8–12 precloacal pores; smooth subcaudals with an enlarged median row; one or two cloacal tubercles; 29–37 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; no dark bands encircling tail; two distinct, white, well defined, occipital ocelli; a black occipital band bordering a series of closely spaced, large, white to yellow spots which form a nuchal band and a small, black shoulder patch enclosing a single white to yellow ocellus. This species is restricted to the karst formations of the Nakawan Range spanning the Thai-Malaysian border and has been misidentified as C. siamensis by previous authors.

A new species of Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia

A new species of gekkonid lizard of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 is described from the state of Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis flavigaster sp nov. differs from all other species of Cnemaspis in Peninsular Malaysia by having the following combination of characters: maximum SVL of 50.1 mm, a series of distinct black dorsal spots, 29–34 subdigital lamellae on 4 th toe, no femoral pores, smooth ventral scales, median subcaudal scales not enlarged or keeled, and an orange belly. This brings the total number of species of Cnemaspis in Peninsular Malaysia to nine.

FOUR NEW SPECIES OF THE GEKKONID GENUS CNEMASPIS STRAUCH 1887 (REPTILIA: SQUAMATA) FROM SOUTHERN VIETNAM

Three new continental and one new insular species of the gekkonid genus Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 are described from southern Vietnam based on their unique combinations of morphological and color pattern characteristics. The presence of these species in small, isolated mountains in the Mekong Delta flood plain and on one of the many small islands in Rach Gia Bay indicates that additional new species are likely to occur in these and similar underexplored regions in southern Vietnam. The discovery of new species of Cnemaspis in southern Vietnam narrows a 630 km distribution gap across the Indochinese Peninsula to a hiatus of 315 km. This report demonstrates that continued systematic field research is necessary in southern Vietnam before its herpetofaunal biodiversity will be fully realized and effective conservation measures can be put into place to protect it.

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

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.

New Species of Cnemaspis (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Northern Cameroon, a Neglected Biodiversity Hotspot

A new species of diurnal gecko of the genus Cnemaspis is described from granite boulder habitats in gallery forests in the Monts Alantika and HossereVokre ´, north of the Adamaoua Plateau in north Cameroon. The new species is most similar to the widespread species Cnemaspis spinicollis but differs from this and all other congeners in details of both scalation (single enlarged scale beneath the penultimate interphalangeal joint of digit IV of pes, absence of an enlarged, flattened preaxial metatarsal scale, absence of tubercles on the crown and beneath the ear) and coloration (pale, with little contrast between background

Revision of the Genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae), from the Mentawai and Adjacent Archipelagos off Western Sumatra, Indonesia, with the Description of Four New Species

Four new species of Cnemaspis are described from the Mentawai and adjacent archipelagos along the northwest to the southwest coast of Sumatra, Republic of Indonesia, and one each from Simeulue, Nias, Siberut, and Enggano. These populations were allocated by earlier workers to Cnemaspis kandiana (Kelaart, 1852), a Sri Lankan highland endemic. The high levels of endemicity of the fauna of these islands have been attributed to their geographical isolation, historical lack of aridity, and effects of glacial emergence of the Sunda Shelf caused by its maritime climate.