Cnemaspis selenolagus GRISMER, YUSHCHENKO, PAWANGKHANANT, NAZAROV, NAIDUANGCHAN, SUWANNAPOOM & POYARKOV, 2020
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Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Moon Rabbit Rock Gecko, Suan Phueng Rock Gecko Thai: Jing Jok Niew Yao Suan Phueng |
Synonym | Cnemaspis selenolagus GRISMER, YUSHCHENKO, PAWANGKHANANT, NAZAROV, NAIDUANGCHAN, SUWANNAPOOM & POYARKOV 2020 |
Distribution | Thailand (Ratchaburi) Type locality: montane evergreen tropical forest of Khao Laem Mt., Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand (13.53846° N, 99.20071° E WGS; elevation 990 m a.s.l.) |
Reproduction | |
Types | Holotype. ZMMU R-16391, Adult male, field Nos NAP-09690/SP-145) collected on June 19, 2019, at 21.00 hrs by Platon V. Yushchenko and Kawin Jiaranaisakul (Figs. 3, 4A). Paratype. AUP 00767, Adult male, collected from montane evergreen tropical forest of Khao Laem Mt., Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand (13.54732° N, 99.20394° E WGS; elevation 715 m a.s.l.) on February 22, 2020, at 20.00 hrs by Mali Naiduangchan (Fig. 4B). |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. can be separated from all other species of Cnemaspis by the unique combination of having a maximum SVL of 36.2 mm; 10–11 supralabias; 10 infralabials; smooth ventral scales; six or seven continuous, elongate, precloacal pores in males; 16–18 non-linearly arranged paravertebral tubercles; tubercles absent from lower flanks; a patch of enlarged spine-like tubercles on flanks; no lateral caudal furrows; ventrolaeral caudal tubercles absent; lateral caudal tubercle row present; caudal tubercles note restricted to a single paravertebral row; smooth subcaudals; caudal tubercles encircle tail; no enlarged median subcaudal row; two post-cloacal tubercles in males; no enlarged femoral scales; no shield-like subtibial scales; subtibial scales smooth and enlarged submetatarsals on first toe. These characters are scored across all species of Cnemapsis in Grismer et al. (2014), Wood et al. (2017), and Ampai et al. (2019) and across all species in the C. siamensis group along with diagnostic color pattern characters in Table 2 in Grismer et al. 2020. Coloration. In life (Fig. 4A in Grismer et al. 2020) dorsal ground color of head, anterior portion of trunk, and forelimbs orange-yellow; top of head bearing, diffuse, dark and light, linear markings; thin, faint, dark postorbital stripe extends to just anterior to ear opening; pair of dark, diffuse, blotches on anterior of nape; large, dark irregularly shaped, offset paravertebral blotches extend from nape to base of tail, continuing onto tail as poorly defined caudal bands; well-defined, yellowish paravertebral markings on anterior of trunk abruptly becoming gray anterior markings on posterior section of trunk, continuing onto tail forming gray caudal bands; large irregularly shaped white markings in shoulder regions and flanks; limbs mottle with diffuse dark and light poorly composed bands; and venter beige, heavily stippled. In preservative, yellowish coloration of anterior parts fade, specimen is colored in dull-brownish grey hues (Fig. 3 in Grismer et al. 2020). Variation. Differences between the holotype and the paratype in squamation and morphometrics are summarized in Table 3. In general, the male paratype AUP-00767 resembles the holotype, differing from it in having a larger SVL, greater number of paravertebral tubercles, and fewer number of supralabials (see Table 3). Coloration of the paratype in life is presented in Fig. 4B–E and resembles that of the holotype (Grismer et al. 2020). Comparisons. Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. can be diagnosed from all other species in the C. siamensis group except C. huaseesom by having 22 lamellae under 4th toe as opposed 23–31, collectively and the anterior one-half of the body being colored yellow-orange as opposed to not being colored as such. It can be further differentiated from all other species except C. thachanaensis by having 16–18 paravertebral tubercles versus 18–30, collectively. Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other members of the C. siamensis group by having a smaller maximum SVL of 36.2 mm as opposed 39.0–49.6 mm, collectively (see table 6 in Ampai et al. 2019). From C. adangrawi, C. chanardi, C. huaseesom, C. omari, C. phangngaensis, C. punctatonuchalis, C. roticanai, C. siamensis, C. thachanaensis and C. vandeventeri it differs by having 10 as opposed to 6–9 infralabials.”. Cnemaspis. adangrawi has nine infralabials. Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. is most closely related to C. puctatonuchalis but differs from it further in squamation by having versus lacking tubercles on the lower flanks, caudal tubercles that encircle the tail, and anterior ventrolateral caudal tubercles as well as lacking versus having lateral caudal furrows. In coloration and pattern, it differs further in having as opposed to lacking a prescapular crescent, yellow forelimbs and throat and lacking as opposed to having an orange subcaudal region. Other differences in squamation and coloration are scored across all species of the C. siamensis group in Table 2 in Grismer et al. 2020. |
Comment | |
Etymology | The new species name “selenolagus” is a Latinized noun of masculine gender given in apposition and is derived from Greek words “selene” (σελήνη) for “moon”, and “lagos” (λαγός) for “rabbit”, “hare”, and literally means “moon rabbit”. The name honors the Rabbit in the Moon Foundation, located in Suan Phueng, Ratchaburi, Thailand, in recognition of the Foundation’s efforts in environmental education and conservation in Thailand, and acknowledging their help and support in organizing our fieldwork in the Suan Phueng area. |
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