Cnemaspis gunasekarai
| Cnemaspis gunasekarai | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Genus: | Cnemaspis |
| Species: | C. gunasekarai
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cnemaspis gunasekarai Amarasinghe, Karunarathna, Madawala & De Silva, 2021
| |
Cnemaspis gunasekarai, or Gunasekara's day gecko, is a species of diurnal rupicolous gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka.[1]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species is closely resembling C. nilgala, C. hitihamii, and other congeners of the alwisi group.[2][3]
Etymology
[edit]The specific name gunasekarai is named in honor of Samantha Gunasekara, who contributed to biodiversity conservation in Sri Lanka.[4] He is a leading environmental activist, conservationist, and former deputy director of Sri Lanka Customs.[1][5]
Description
[edit]An adult male is 34.6 mm long. Dorsum homogeneous with keeled granular scales. There are four or five spine-like tubercles on flanks. Dorsum patterned with creamy vertebral markings on a uniform yellowish brown background. Snout is dark yellowish brown. There are two dark brown blotches behind the eye. A bright yellow and black stripe visible on the neck. Arms and legs uniform light brown with pale and dark blotches. Tail is yellowish brown with ten pale yellow markings.[1]
Ecology
[edit]The gecko is restricted to Ritigala wet forest patch.[6] Entirely wild species, it is commonly inhabited in dry, shaded, cool surfaces of large rock outcrops or within caves.[7] The researchers suggested critically endangered IUCN category for the species due to point endemism.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Departemen Biologi, Fakultas Matematika dan Ilmu Pengetahuan Alam, Universitas Indonesia, Kampus UI, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Amarasinghe, A.A. Thasun; Karunarathna, Suranjan; Madawala, Majintha; de Silva, Anslem (2021-05-27). "TWO NEW RUPICOLOUS DAY GECKOS OF THE Cnemaspis alwisi GROUP (REPTILIA: GEKKONIDAE) FROM SRI LANKA". Taprobanica. 10: 23–38. doi:10.47605/tapro.v10i1.245. S2CID 236390650. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Cnemaspis gunasekarai & C. gunawardanai • Two New Rupicolous Day Geckos of the Cnemaspis alwisi Group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Sri Lanka". novataxa. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
- ^ a b "Two endangered geckos named after Jagath and Samantha". The Island. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
- ^ "Two newly discovered Day-gecko species named after local conservationists". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
- ^ "Two gecko species endemic to this country". SLBC News ( Sinhala ). Retrieved 2021-06-03.
- ^ "Identifies the latest gecko species… Named after two experts". Lankatruth. Retrieved 2021-06-03.
- ^ "Two newly discovered Day-gecko species named after local conservationists". msn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-03.