Cnemaspis anslemi Karunarathna & Ukuwela 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Karunarathna, Suranjan
name: Ukuwela, Kanishka D. B.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Repitilia
Squamata
Gekkonidae
Cnemaspis
Cnemaspis anslemi

description: Cnemaspis anslemi sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: A5B58BCF-0BEE-4714-971B-B38218F74956
Anslems’ Day Gecko (English)
Anslemge divaseri hoona (Sinhala)
Anslemvin pahalpalli (Tamil)
Figs. 2–5; Tables 1–2
Holotype. NMSL.2019.14.01, adult male, 34.4 mm SVL (Fig. 2), collected from a tall, straight tree with good canopy cover in a home garden (bordering forest) in Udamaliboda, Kegalle District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka (6.859728°N, 80.448736°E, WGS1984; elevation 485 m, around 16.00 hrs) on 25 March 2019 by Suranjan Karunarathna and Kanishka Ukuwela.
Paratypes. NMSL.2019.14.02, adult female, 32.5 mm SVL collected from an old clay house wall (bordering forest) in Udamaliboda, Kegalle District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka (6.869611°N, 80.457069°E, WGS1984; elevation 634 m, around 10.00 hrs) on 26 March 2019 by Suranjan Karunarathna and Kanishka Ukuwela, and NMSL.2019.14.03, adult female, 30.0 mm SVL (Fig. 3) collected from a tall, straight tree with good canopy cover in a home garden (bordering the forest) in Udamaliboda, Kegalle District, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka (6.859728°N, 80.448736°E, WGS1984; elevation 485 m, around 14.00 hrs), on 27 March 2019 by Suranjan Karunarathna and Kanishka Ukuwela.
Diagnosis. Cnemaspis anslemi sp. nov. can be readily distinguished from its Sri Lankan congeners by a combination of the following morphological and meristic characteristics, and also color pattern: maximum SVL 34.4 mm; dorsum with homogeneous, smooth granular scales; 2/2 supranasals, one internasal, and 1/1 postnasal present; three enlarged postmentals; postmentals bounded by five chin scales; chin and gular scales smooth, granular, juxtaposed; pectoral and abdominal scales smooth and subimbricate; 3–5 well developed tubercles on posterior flank; 118–122 paravertebral granules linearly arranged; 19–21 belly scales across venter; precloacal pores absent in males, 14–15 femoral pores on each side in males separated by 9–11 unpored interfemoral scales in males, and 2–3 unpored posterior femoral scales in males; 111–117 ventral scales; 87–91 midbody scales; subcaudals smooth, subhexagonal, enlarged, subequal, forming a regular median row; 8–9 supralabials; 8–9 infralabials; 16–17 total lamellae on digit IV of manus, and 20–21 total lamellae on digit IV of pes (Table 1). Dorsal body reticulated brown, black, and white; two large oval patches present on the neck; chin and gular with bright yellow, and femur dirty yellow.
Comparisons with other species. Based on the presence of enlarged hexagonal subcaudal scales C. anslemi sp. nov. can be assigned to the C. podihuna clade sensu Agarwal et al. (2017). However, the new species may be readily differentiated from congeners in this clade as follows: from C. kandambyi Batuwita and Udugampala, 2017, C. molligodai Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa, 2007, and C. podihuna Deraniyagala, 1944 by absence (versus presence) of precloacal pores; from C. alwisi Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa, 2007, C. godagedarai de Silva et al. 2019, C. hitihami Karunarathna et al. 2019, C. kohukumburai Karunarathna et al. 2019, C. phillipsi Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. punctata Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. rajakarunai Wickramasinghe et al. 2016, and C. rammalensis Vidanapathirana et al. 2014 by the presence of fewer ventral scales (111–117 versus 145–153, 133– 137, 132–135, 131–134, 128–143, 129–137, 146–186, and 186–207, respectively); from C. nilgala Karunarathna et al. 2019 by the presence of more femoral pores (14– 15 versus 7–9); from C. gemunu Bauer et al. 2007 by the presence of a greater number of belly scales (19–21 versus 13–16) and by presence of more paravertebral granules (118–122 versus 79–93); and from C. scalpensis (Ferguson, 1877) by the presence of fewer tubercles on posterior flank (3–5 versus 9–11) and a greater number of paravertebral granules (118–122 versus 102–112).
Among species of the C. kandiana clade sensu Agarwal et al. (2017), C. anslemi sp. nov. differs by the absence (versus presence) of precloacal pores and the presence (versus absence) of clearly enlarged, hexagonal, or subhexagonal subcaudal scales from the following species: C. amith Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. butewai Karunarathna et al. 2019, C. gotaimbarai Karunarathna et al. 2019, C. ingerorum Batuwita et al. 2019, C. kallima Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. kandiana (Kelaart, 1852), C. kivulegedarai Karunarathna et al. 2019, C. kumarasinghei Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa, 2007, C. latha Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. menikay Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. nandimithrai Karunarathna et al. 2019, C. pava Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. pulchra Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. retigalensis Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa, 2007, C. samanalensis Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa, 2007, C. silvula Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007, C. tropidogaster (Boulenger, 1885) and C. upendrai Manamendra-Arachchi et al. 2007.
Description of Holotype. An adult male, 34.4 mm SVL. Body slender and relatively long (TRL 42.3% of SVL). Head relatively large (HL 30.3% of SVL, HL 71.6% of TRL), narrow (HW 17.2% of SVL, HW 56.7% of HL), depressed (HD 10.0% of SVL, HD 33.1% of HL) and distinct from neck. Snout relatively long (ES 80.7% of HW, ES 45.8% of HL), more than twice the eye diameter (ED 38.4% of ES), more than half the length of jaw (ES 67.8% of JL), snout slightly concave in lateral view; eye relatively small (ED 17.6% of HL), twice as large as ear (EL 34.4% of ED), pupil rounded; orbit length greater than eye to ear distance (OD 115.6% of EE) and greater than the length of digit IV of the manus (OD 100.3% of DLM IV); supraocular ridges not prominent; ear opening very small (EL 6.0% of HL), deep, taller than wide, larger than nostrils; single row of scales separates orbit from supralabials; interorbital distance is narrow (IO 72.1% of ES), shorter than head length (IO 33.0% of HL); eye to nostril distance slightly greater than eye to ear distance (EN 102.1% of EE).
Dorsal surface of the trunk with smooth, small homogeneous granules, 122 paravertebral granules; 117 smooth midventral scales; 87 midbody scales; 5/5 well developed tubercles on flanks; ventrolateral scales slightly enlarged; granules on snout smooth and flattened, larger than those on interorbital and occipital regions; canthus rostralis not pronounced, 9/10 smooth oval scales from eye to nostril; scales of interorbital region oval and smooth; 2/2 weakly developed tubercles present on sides of neck and around ear; ear opening vertically oval, slanting from anterodorsal to posteroventral, 18/18 scales between anterior margin of the ear opening and posterior margin of eye. Supralabials 8/8 and infralabials 9/8, becoming smaller towards the gape. Rostral scale wider than long, partially divided (90%) by a median groove and in contact with first supralabial. Nostrils separated by 2/2 enlarged supranasals with one internasal and 1/1 postnasal; no enlarged scales behind supranasals. Nostrils oval, dorsolaterally oriented, not in contact with first supralabials.
Mental subrhomboidal, as wide as long, posteriorly in contact with three enlarged postmentals (smaller than mental, and larger than chin scales); postmentals in contact and bordered posteriorly by five smooth chin scales (larger than nostrils), contact with the 1 st and 2 nd infralabials; ventral scales smaller than chin scales, and larger than nostrils. Smooth, rounded, juxtaposed granule-like scales on chin and gular region; pectoral and abdominal scales smooth, subimbricate towards precloacal region, abdominal scales larger than dorsals; 21 belly scales across venter; smooth, subimbricate scales around vent and base of tail; 15/14 femoral pores; 10 unpored interfemoral scales; 3/2 small posterior femoral scales. Original tail of holotype longer than snout-vent length (TAL 114.5% of SVL); hemipenial bulge greatly swollen (TBW 3.8 mm), homogeneous scales on dorsal aspect of tail directed posteriorly, 1/1 spine-like tubercles present at base of tail, subcaudals very smooth; tail with 3–4 enlarged flattened obtuse scales forming whorls; absence of post-cloacal spur on each side; smooth subcaudals arranged into a median series of clearly enlarged, hexagonal or subhexagonal scales.
Forelimbs moderately short, slender (LAL 15.1% of SVL, UAL 14.8% of SVL) lower arm longer than upper arm; hind limbs moderately long, tibia shorter than femur (TBL 18.1% of SVL, FEL 20.5% of SVL). Dorsal, anterior, ventral, and posterior surfaces of upper arm with smooth scales, those on anterior surface twice as large as those on other faces of limb; dorsal, anterior, ventral, and posterior surfaces of lower arm with smooth scales, those on posterior surface twice as large as those of other parts; scales on dorsal surface of femur smooth and granular, less imbricate scales on anterior, posterior and ventral surfaces, scales on anterior surface are twice the size of those of other aspects. All surfaces of tibia with smooth scales; both anterior and posterior surfaces of limbs bearing smooth granules, scales of the ventral surface twice as large as those of other aspects. Dorsal and ventral scales on the manus and the pes smooth, granular; dorsal surfaces of digits with granular scales. Digits elongate and slender with inflected distal phalanges, all bearing slightly recurved claws. Subdigital lamellae entire (except divided at first interphalangial joint), unnotched; total lamellae on manus (left/right): digit I (11/11), digit II (12/12), digit III (14/13), digit IV (17/17), digit V (13/13); total lamellae on pes (left/ right): digit I (9/9), digit II (13/12), digit III (18/18), digit IV (21/21), digit V (16/16); interdigital webbing absent; length order of digits of manus (left): I (1.4 mm), V (2.5 mm), II (2.8 mm), III (3.1 mm), IV (3.3 mm); length order of digits of pes (left): I (2.2 mm), II (3.4 mm), V (3.6 mm), III (3.8 mm), IV (4.2 mm).
Variation of the type series. The SVL of adult specimens in the type series (n = 3) and others (n = 5) ranges from 30.3 to 34.4 mm, TAL ranges from 34.7–39.4 mm, and TRL ranges from 12.0– 14.6 mm; number of supralabials 8–9, and infralabials 8–9 (Table 1); spines on flank 3–5; interorbital scales 26–29; supraciliaries 9–11; canthal scales 8–10; scales from eye to tympanum 17–19; total lamellae on digits of manus: digit I (10–11), digit II (11–13), digit III (13–14), digit IV (16–17), digit V (12–13); total lamellae on digits of pes: digit II (12–13), digit III (17–19), digit IV (20–21), digit V (15–16); ventral scales 111–117, midbody scales 87–91; paravertebral granules 118–122; belly scales 19–21; unpored interfemoral scales 9–11 in males; femoral pores in males 14–15, and unpored posterior femoral scales in males 2–3.
Color of living specimens. The body color on the dorsal side is reddish brown; the dorsal head is randomly scattered with black and white dots; a yellowish oval patch on occiput, and a straight black middorsal dash over midpoint of neck (Fig. 4); faded yellow patches along vertebral midline; indistinct dark canthal stripe extends through eye and above ear, terminating anterior to forelimb insertion; the pupil of eye is circular and black with the surrounding being golden brown; a series of 4–5 mottled, irregular, dark brown transverse bands with gray margins on dorsum of body; dorsum of tail with 13–15 cinnamon brown blotches separating 12–14 faded dark brown bands; lateral view of labials and neck consists of thin black dots in bright yellow background like a zigzag mark; small dark spots (like eyes) present on back side of femur; chin and gular with bright yellow, vent and femur completely dirty yellow color.
Color of preserved specimens. Dorsum is light brown; dorsum of head is randomly scattered with brown and cream dots; an oval cream color patch on occiput, and a straight dark brown middorsal dash over midpoint of neck; a white post-orbital stripe present; labials with black and cream spots; venter is completely dirty white; tail with scattered markings on dorsal side.
Etymology. The specific epithet is an eponym Latinized (anslemi) in the masculine genitive singular, honoring the veteran Sri Lankan herpetologist Kongahage Anslem Lawrence de Silva (the father of modern herpetology in Sri Lanka) for his valuable contributions to Sri Lankan herpetology and for inspiring the next generation of herpetologists, including the authors.
Natural history. The lower Samanala Nature Reserve area (along with Udamaliboda) comprises home gardens, and tropical evergreen rainforests (Gunatileke and Gunatileke 1990) mixed with tea and rubber plantations. The area comprises the Ratnapura and Kegalle districts and lies between 6.759172° and 6.889842°N and 80.436194° and 80.487717°E, at an elevation of 350– 850 m. The mean annual rainfall varies between 3,500 and 4,500 mm, received mostly via the southwest monsoon (May– September). The mean annual temperature of the area is 26.4–27.9 ºC. Cnemaspis anslemi sp. nov. is a quite rare species as six (± 0.1) geckos per survey-hour were found after covering a total area of 20 ha. This species was restricted to tall straight trees with smooth bark and thick canopy cover, and houses with tall clay walls with crevices. These geckos could climb up to 7 m on vertical surfaces of trees (Fig. 5). They were active during the day time (08.00–17.00 h) and, when disturbed, sought refuge in tree tops with crevices. The new species was sympatric (at local habitat scale) with several other geckos (Cnemaspis samanalensis, Cnemaspis sp., Cyrtodactylus triedrus, Cyrtodactylus sp., Gehyra mutilata, Hemidactylus depressus, H. pieresii, H. frenatus, H. parvimaculatus, and Hemiphyllodactylus typus). The eggs were pure white in color and almost spherical in shape (~ 5 mm), with a slightly flattened side that attached to the clay-wall substrate. This species has also been recorded from the Lihinihela, Borangamuwa, and Warnagala areas in lower Samanala Nature Reserve.
Conservation status. Application of the IUCN Red List criteria indicates that C. anslemi sp. nov. is Critically Endangered (CR) due to having an area of occupancy (AOO) <10 km 2 (six locations, 0.2 km 2 in total, assuming a 100 m radius around the georeferenced locations) and an extent of occurrence (EOO) <100 km 2 (96.7 km 2) in the lower elevations of Central Province [Applicable criteria are B2-b (iii)].
Remarks. Cnemaspis anslemi sp. nov. most closely resembles C. gemunu, C. godagedarai, C. phillipsi, and C. scalpensis. The type localities of these species are separated by ~ 38 km (Haggala in Nuwara Eliya), ~ 55 km (Ensalwatte in Deniyaya), ~ 83 km (Gammaduwa in Matale), and ~ 47 km (Gannoruwa in Kandy) airline distances, respectively, from Udamaliboda in Kegalle (Fig. 1). Further, the new species can be distinguished from C. gemunu, C. godagedarai, C. phillipsi, and C. scalpensis by morphometric and meristic characters (Table 2). We believe Cnemaspis cf. gemunu (AMB 7507, now in NMSL) collected from Borangamuwa in Ratnapura District (6.742778°N, 80.707778°E; elevation about 800 m) would most likely represent C. anslemi sp. nov. according to the currently known distribution pattern (see Agarwal et al. 2017). The records of Cnemaspis scalpensis from Udamaliboda forest and vicinity by Peabotuwage et al. (2012) also represent Cnemaspis anslemi sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Karunarathna, Suranjan & Ukuwela, Kanishka D. B., 2019, A new species of dwarf day gecko (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from lower-elevations of Samanala Nature Reserve in Central massif, Sri Lanka, pp. 14-27 in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 187) (e 187) 13 (2) on pages 16-21, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11262883