Cnemaspis gunasekarai AMARASINGHE, KARUNARATHNA, MADAWALA & DE SILVA, 2021
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Cnemaspis gunasekarai?
Cnemaspis gunasekarai
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Cnemaspis gunasekarai AMARASINGHE, KARUNARATHNA, MADAWALA & DE SILVA 2021 Cnemaspis alwisi –– AGARWAL et al. 2017 |
| Distribution | Sri Lanka (North Central Province) Type locality: Ritigala (8˚05'27.63''– 8˚09' 5.19''N, 80˚37'28.62''–80˚41'22.53''E, alt. 385 m a.s.l.), Anuradhapura District, North Central Province, Sri Lanka |
| Reproduction | Oviparous (Amarasinghe et al. 2021). |
| Types | Holotype: NMSL 2019.17.01, adult male, collected by Anslem de Silva, on 10 November 2005 Paratypes: NMSL 2019.17.02 and NMSL 2019.17.03, adult females, other details same as holotype |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: The following combination of characters distinguishes this new species from all other congeners: adult males reaching 34.6 mm SVL, adult females reaching 31.1 mm SVL; 9–11 supralabials; dorsal granules homogeneous, 117–126 paravertebral granules; four or five spine-like tubercles on flanks; throat, pectoral, and abdominal scales smooth; 119–127 ventrals; no precloacal pores and ten femoral pores (per thigh) in males, 16 interfemoral scales; 89–95 midbody scales, 20–22 ventral scale rows across belly; 19–21 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; subcaudals smooth, subhexagonal 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. nilgala, C. hitihamii Conservation status: Critically Endangered (CR) [IUCN criteria is B1a,b (iii)] |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive singular case, honoring a leading environmental activist, conservationist, and former Deputy Director of Sri Lanka Customs (Government of Sri Lanka), Mr. Samantha Gunasekara, for his dedication and contributions to biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka, as well as his generous friendship and support towards the authors. His valuable contributions to the Sri Lanka Customs Department in controlling biodiversity trafficking, illegal pet trade, and biopiracy, as well as to popularizing conservation among the general public, are highly commendable. Mr. Gunasekara is also a senior member and a former president of the Young Zoologists’ Association (YZA) of Sri Lanka. |
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