Friday, July 10, 2015

[Herpetology • 2015] Cnemaspis mahsuriae • A New Insular Species of Rock Gecko (Cnemaspis Boulenger) from Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia


Mashuri’s Rock Gecko | Cnemaspis mahsuriae
Grismer, Wood, Quah, Anuar, Ngadi & Ahmad, 2015

Abstract

A new, diminutive species of Rock Gecko Cnemaspis mahsuriae sp. nov. of the affinis group, is described from Gunung Raya on Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia and is differentiated from all other species in the affinis group by having a unique combination of characters including a maximum SVL of 36.6 mm; keeled subtibials and ventrals; 21–24 paravertebral tubercles; no tubercles in the lateral caudal furrows; caudal tubercles not encircling tail; no precloacal pores; 23–26 subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe; no white ocelli in the shoulder region; no yellow postscapular band; and faint yellow bars on the flanks. Cnemaspis mahsuriae sp. nov. is a forest-dwelling species living in close sympatry or paraptry with the insular endemic C. roticanai Grismer & Chan. The Langkawi Archipelago harbors a unique mix of Malaysian and Indochinese taxa and the frequency of new discoveries from this group of islands is increasing.

Keywords: Cnemaspis, Mashuri, Pulau Langkawi, Malaysia, new species, systematics


FIGURE 3. Upper left: Adult male Cnemaspis harimau (LSUDPC 6381) from Gunung Jerai, Kedah. Lower left: Adult male C. affinis (LSUDPC 9078) from Penang Hill, Pulau Pinang, Penang.
Upper right: Adult male holotype of Cnemaspis mahsuriae sp. nov. (LSUHC 11828) from Gunung Raya, Pulau Langkawi, Kedah. Lower right: Adult female paratype of C. mahsuriae sp. nov. (LSUHC 11829) from Gunung Raya, Pulau Langkawi, Kedah.
Grismer, Wood, et al. 2015

FIGURE 1. Distribution and relationships of Cnemaspis mahsuriae sp. nov., C. harimau, and C. affinis along the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Branch lengths do not represent genetic distance.
Grismer, Wood, et al. 2015

Grismer, L. L.,Wood, P. L., Jr., Quah, E. S. H., Anuar, S., Ngadi, E. and Ahmad, N. 2015. A New Insular Species of Rock Gecko (Cnemaspis Boulenger) from Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. Zootaxa. 3985(2): 203–218.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3985.2.2