Cnemaspis gunawardanai
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Cnemaspis
Species:
C. gunawardanai
Binomial name
Cnemaspis gunawardanai
Amarasinghe, Karunarathna, Madawala & De Silva, 2021

Cnemaspis gunawardanai, or Gunawardana's day gecko, is a species of diurnal rupicolous gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka.[1]

Taxonomy

The species is closely resembling C. rajakarunai, C. hitihamii, and other congeners of the alwisi group.[2][3]

Etymology

The specific name gunawardanai is named in honor of Dr. Jagath Gunawardana.[4] He is a leading environmental activist, conservationist, and a lawyer contributed to popularizing environmental laws among the general public.[1][5]

Description

An adult male is 37.4 mm long. Dorsum homogeneous with keeled granular scales. There are four spine-like tubercles on flanks. Dorsum patterned with creamy and yellowish vertebral markings on a uniform dark brown background. Snout is light brown. There is a black spot on the neck. A a vertebral cream stripe shading visible posteriorly. Arms and legs uniform dark brown with pale and dark blotches. Tail is dark brown with six pale yellow markings.[1]

Ecology

The gecko found only from two localities: Pilikuttuwa and Maligatenna, Gampaha district.[6] Entirely wild species, it is commonly inhabited in dry, shaded, cool surfaces of rock outcrops inside caves.[7] The researchers suggested critically endangered IUCN category for the species due to regional endemism.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Departemen Biologi, Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Amarasinghe, A.A. Thasun; Karunarathna, Suranjan; Madawala, Majintha; de Silva, Anslem (2021-05-27). "TWO NEW RUPICOLOUS DAY GECKOS OF THE Cnemaspis alwisi GROUP (REPTILIA: GEKKONIDAE) FROM SRI LANKA". Taprobanica. 10: 23–38. doi:10.47605/tapro.v10i1.245. S2CID 236390650. Retrieved 2021-06-04.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ "Cnemaspis gunasekarai & C. gunawardanai • Two New Rupicolous Day Geckos of the Cnemaspis alwisi Group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Sri Lanka". novataxa. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  3. 1 2 "Two endangered geckos named after Jagath and Samantha". The Island. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  4. ↑ "Two newly discovered Day-gecko species named after local conservationists". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  5. ↑ "Two gecko species endemic to this country". SLBC News ( Sinhala ). 29 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  6. ↑ "Identifies the latest gecko species… Named after two experts". Lankatruth. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
  7. ↑ "Two newly discovered Day-gecko species named after local conservationists". msn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
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