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Cnemaspis gemunu BAUER, DE SILVA, GREENBAUM & JACKMAN, 2007

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Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common Names 
SynonymCnemaspis gemunu BAUER, DE SILVA, GREENBAUM & JACKMAN 2007
Cnemaspis gemunu — MANAMENDRA-ARACHCHI et al. 2007
Cnemaspis gemunu — KARUNARATHNA & UKUWELA 2019 
DistributionSri Lanka (Nuwara Eliya District (Central Province)

Type locality: Botanical garden of Hakgala, Nuwara Eliya District (Central Province), Sri Lanka, (6°55’30’’ N, 80°49’15’’ E), 1660m elevation.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: NMSL (AMB 7495 = AM Bauer collection in original description); “to be deposited in the National Museum, Colombo, Sri Lanka” (= NMSL) 
Diagnosis 
CommentCnemaspis gemunu is distinctive relative to all other recognized Sri Lankan congeners in possessing enlarged subcaudal scales that are pentagonal to hexagonal in shape, in having 12 femoral pores and no precloacal pores, and in its dorsal pattern of chevrons. The species is most similar to the Indian C. jerdonii. Molecular data support both the distinctiveness of this taxon with respect to other Sri Lankan day geckos and its affinities with C. podihuna and C. scalpensis.

Similar species: Karunarathna & Ukuwela 2019 believe that Cnemaspis cf. gemunu (AMB 7507, now in NMSL) collected from Borangamuwa in Ratnapura District (6.742778°N, 80.707778°E; elevation about 800 m) most likely represents C. anslemi sp. nov. according to the currently known distribution pattern (see Agarwal et al. 2017). 
EtymologyNamed after Prince Gemunu (161–137 B.C.; also known as Gamani and later as King Dutugemunu), and used as noun in apposition. This warrior king spent several years in hiding from the wrath of his father in the central hills of Sri Lanka. He subsequently succeeded his father as king and ultimately defeated the invading armies of the Indian King Elara, who had been based in Anuradhapura, and united all of Sri Lanka under his rule. The name refers to the new species, which was also “hidden” in the hills of central Sri Lanka. It also pays homage to our friend and colleague Rainer Günther whose given name is derived from Old German and may be variously translated as “deciding warrior” or “ruler” and who is sometimes known to his friends as “der Froschkönig.” 
References
  • Agarwal, I., Biswas, S., Bauer, A.M., Greenbaum, E., Jackman, T.R., De Silva, A. & Batuwita, S. 2017. Cryptic species, taxonomic inflation, or a bit of both? New species phenomenon in Sri Lanka as suggested by a phylogeny of dwarf geckos (Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonidae, Cnemaspis). Systematics and Biodiversity, 15, 427–439 - get paper here
  • Barts, M. 2007. Sechs neue Taggeckos aus der Gattung Cnemaspis. Draco 7 (30): 93-96 - get paper here
  • Bauer, Aaron M.; Anslem de Silva, Eli Greenbaum, Todd Jackman 2007. A new species of day gecko from high elevation in Sri Lanka, with a preliminary phylogeny of Sri Lankan Cnemaspis (Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonidae). Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin 83 (S1): 22-32 - get paper here
  • Karunarathna S, Ukuwela KDB. 2019. A new species of dwarf day gecko (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from lower-elevations of Samanala Nature Reserve in Central massif, Sri Lanka. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13(2) [General Section]: 14–27 (e187) - get paper here
  • Karunarathna, Suranjan; Nikolay A. Poyarkov, Anslem de Silva, Majintha Madawala, Madhava Botejue, Vladislav A. Gorin, Thilina Surasinghe, Dinesh Gabadage, Kanishka D.B. Ukuwela & Aaron M. Bauer 2019. Integrative taxonomy reveals six new species of day geckos of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from geographically-isolated hill forests in Sri Lanka. Vertebrate Zoology 69 (3): 247–298 - get paper here
  • Manamendra-Arachchi, Kelum; Batuwita, Sudesh & Pethiyagoda, Rohan 2007. A taxonomic revision of the Sri Lankan day-geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis), with description of new species from Sri Lanka and southern India. Zeylanica 7 (1): 9-122
  • Somaweera, R. & Somaweera, N. 2009. Lizards of Sri Lanka: a colour guide with field keys. Chimaira, Frankfurt, 304 pp.
  • VIDANAPATHIRANA, DULAN RANGA; M. D. GEHAN RAJEEV, NETHU WICKRAMASINGHE, SAMANTHA SURANJAN FERNANDO & L. J. MENDIS WICKRAMASINGHE & L. J. MENDIS WICKRAMASINGHE 2014. Cnemaspis rammalensis sp. nov., Sri Lanka’s largest day-gecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from Rammalakanda Man and Biosphere Reserve in southern Sri Lanka. Zootaxa 3755 (3): 273–286 - get paper here
 
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