Cnemaspis manoae AMARASINGHE & KARUNARATHNA, 2020
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Cnemaspis manoae
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Mano’s Day-gecko |
| Synonym | Cnemaspis manoae AMARASINGHE & KARUNARATHNA 2020 |
| Distribution | Sri Lanka (Gampaha) 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 | |
| Types | Holotype: NMSL 2019.10.01, Adult male, SVL 25.3 mm, collected by Anslem de Silva on 22 November 2005. Paratypes (n=2). Adult male, NMSL 2019.10.02, SVL 24.6 mm; adult female, NMSL 2019.10.03, SVL 24.4 mm; other details are the same as holotype. See Table 1 for morphometric and meristic characters, other morphological characters is same as holotype. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: The following combination of characters distinguishes the new species from all other congeners: adult males reaching 25.3 mm SVL, adult females reaching 24.4 mm SVL; 7 or 8 supralabials; dorsal granules homogeneous, 119–126 paravertebral granules; four or five spines on flanks; throat, pectoral, and abdominal scales smooth; 117–121 ventrals; five precloacal pores and nine femoral pores (per thigh) in males, no interfemoral scales; 79–83 midbody scales, 15–17 ventral scale rows; 15 or 16 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. 2019: Table 9. Diagnostic characters of C. podihuna C. molligodai, C. kandambyi, and C. manoae sp. nov. are summarized in Amarasinghe et al. 2020: Table 2. |
| Comment | Habitat: dry, shaded, cool surfaces of large tree trunks, and on wattle and daub houses (Fig. 3). Found on 5 different types of trees in forested areas. Conservation: The application of the IUCN Red List criteria (2019) shows that C. manoae sp. nov. is Critically Endangered (CR) because it is restricted to an area of occupancy (AOO) < 1 km2 and the extent of occurrence (EOO) is < 2 km2 in the wet zone [Applicable criteria is B2-b (iii)] assuming that the three fragmented sites documented here are the extent of the species’ range. However, confirmation that the species does not occur in adjacent areas should be sought before a final determination on conservation status is made. See the maps (Figs. 4 & 6) for known distribution. Surrounding habitats of the type locality are currently being destroyed by pineaple plantations invading the natural forests, and illegal logging inside the forest. |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is an eponym latinized as a noun in the genitive singular, honoring Mrs. Mano Kalupahana, the biology teacher of the first author at his senior high school, The Royal College, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka. The author expresses sincere appreciation for her remarkable generous teaching and advice, which encouraged the first author to study zoology, and marked the turning point in his becoming a taxonomist. |
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