Cnemaspis gunawardanai AMARASINGHE, KARUNARATHNA, MADAWALA & DE SILVA, 2021
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Cnemaspis gunawardanai?
Cnemaspis gunawardanai
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Cnemaspis gunawardanai AMARASINGHE, KARUNARATHNA, MADAWALA & DE SILVA 2021 Cnemaspis cf. alwisi –– AMARASINGHE et al. 2016 Cnemaspis cf. alwisi –– AMARASINGHE & KARUNARATHNA 2020 |
| Distribution | Sri Lanka (Western Province) Type locality: Pilikuttuwa (7˚03'28.14'' N, 80˚02'53.18'' E; alt. 52 m a.s.l.), Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka |
| Reproduction | Oviparous (Amarasinghe et al. 2021). |
| Types | Holotype: NMSL 2021.08.01, adult male, collected by Anslem de Silva, on 22 November 2005 Paratypes: NMSL 2021.08.02, adult female, other details same as holotype |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: The following combination of characters distinguishes the new species from all other congeners: adult males reaching 37.4 mm SVL, adult females reaching 40.5 mm SVL; 8 or 9 supralabials; dorsal granules homogeneous, 148–155 paravertebral granules; three or four spine-like tubercles on flanks; throat, pectoral, and abdominal scales smooth; 159–162 ventrals; no precloacal pores and six or seven femoral pores (per thigh) in males, 23 interfemoral scales; 96–98 midbody scales, 25–27 ventral scale rows across belly; 22 or 23 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; subcaudals smooth, hexagonal shaped, median row of subcaudals greatly enlarged; the differences are summarized for geographically close congeners (Table 2) and for all Sri Lankan species in Karunarathna et al. (2019c, and their table 9). (Amarasinghe et al. 2021). |
| Comment | Similar species: C. rajakarunai, C. hitihamii IUCN conservation status: Critically Endangered (CR) [criteria is B1a,b (iii)] |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive singular case, honoring a leading environmental activist, conservationist, and a lawyer, Dr. Jagath Gunawardana for his major efforts and contributions to biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka, as well as his support, motivation, and encouragements for the first three authors to accomplish their research and career goals. His valuable contributions to popularizing environmental law among the general public are highly commendable. Currently he is an advisor to many government institutions such as Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Department of Wildlife Conservation and Department of Forestry etc. Dr. Gunawardana is also a senior member and a former instructer of the Young Zoologists’ Association (YZA) of Sri Lanka. |
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