Cnemaspis sundagekko, Grismer & Wood & Anuar & Riyanto & Ahmad & Muin & Sumontha & Grismer & Onn & Quah & Pauwels, 2014

Grismer, Lee, Wood, Perry L., Anuar, Shahrul, Riyanto, Awal, Ahmad, Norhayati, Muin, Mohd A., Sumontha, Montri, Grismer, Jesse L., Onn, Chan Kin, Quah, Evan S. H. & Pauwels, Olivier S. A., 2014, Systematics and natural history of Southeast Asian Rock Geckos (genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887) with descriptions of eight new species from Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia, Zootaxa 3880 (1), pp. 1-147 : 134-137

Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov.

Anambas Rock gecko

Fig. 69

Gonatodes kendalli Smedley 1928:76

Cnemaspis cf. kendallii Leong, Grismer & Mumpuni 2003:168

Holotype. Adult male USNM 26549 collected during September of 1899 by W. Abbott on Pulau Siantan, Anambas Archipelago, Riau Province, Indonesia (03°09.01 N, 106°14.03 E). Elevation unkown but less than 400 m, the maximum height of the island.

Paratypes. All paratypes are from Pulau Siantan. Adult males USNM 26547–48 bear the same data as the holotype. Adult males ZRC 2.1109 – 10 and adult female ZRC 2.1111 were collected on 5 September 1925 by F. N. Chasen .

Diagnosis. Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. differs from all other Southeast Asia species of Cnemaspis in having the unique combination of adult males reaching 65.6 mm SVL, adult females reaching 68.0 mm SVL; 11–13 supralabials; 8–11 infralabials; keeled ventrals; no precloacal pores; moderate to prominent dorsal tubercles; 20–25 paravertebral tubercles; dorsal body tubercles generally randomly arranged; tubercles absent to weak on flanks; caudal tubercles encircle tail; no tubercles in lateral caudal furrows; ventrolateral and lateral rows of caudal tubercles present; subcaudals keeled; a sinlge, median row of enlarged, keeled subcaudals posteriorly; two or three postcloacal tubercles on either side of base of tail; no enlarged femoral, subtibial, or submetatarsal scales; subtibials keeled; 31–38 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; large, dark, round spots on nape and anterior portion of body; dorsal caudal tubercles white. These characters are scored across all species in Tables 6 and 7 .

Description of holotype. Male; SVL 55.2 mm; head oblong in dorsal profile, moderate in size (HL/SVL 0.27), somewhat narrow (HW/SVL 0.17), flattened (HD/HL 0.37), distinct from neck; snout short (ES/HL 0.50), slightly concave in lateral profile; postnasal region constricted medially, flat; scales of rostrum smooth, raised, larger than scales on occiput; low, supraorbital ridges; no frontorostral sulcus; canthus rostralis not very discernable; eye large (ED/HL 0.19); extra-brillar fringe scales largest anteriorly; pupil round; ear opening oval, taller than wide; rostral concave dorsally, nearly completely divided by longitudinal groove; rostral bordered posteriorly by two large supranasals and external nares, and laterally by first supralabials; 13R,11L raised supralabials decreasing in size posteriorly; 10R,9L infralabials, decreasing in size slightly posteriorly; nostrils elliptical, oriented dorsoposteriorly; bordered posteriorly by small, granular, postnasal scales; mental large, triangular, flat, bordered posteriorly by two large, rectangular, lateral postmentals of similar size and one smaller azygous scale; gular scales raised, weakly keeled; throat scales larger, raised, keeled.

Body moderate in stature (AG/SVL 0.41); small, keeled, dorsal scales generally equal in size throughout body, intermixed with larger, multicarinate tubercles more or less randomly arranged; tubercles extend from occiput to base of tail, moderate in size; tubercles absent from lower flanks; 25 paravertebral tubercles; pectoral and abdominal scales raised, keeled, not elongate, same size throughout; abdominal scales same size as dorsals; no precloacal pores; forelimbs moderately long, slender (FL/SVL 0.20); dorsal scales of brachium raised, keeled; dorsal scales of forearm raised, keeled; ventral scales of brachium keeled, raised, juxtaposed; ventral scales of forearm weakly keeled, raised, juxtaposed; palmar scales smooth, juxtaposed, raised; digits long with an inflected joint; claws recurved; subdigital lamellae unnotched; lamellae wide throughout digit; interdigital webbing absent; fingers increase in length from first to fourth with fourth longer than fifth; hind limbs slightly longer and thicker than forelimbs (TBL/SVL 0.22); dorsal scales of thigh keeled, slightly raised, juxtaposed; scales of anterior margin of thigh keeled; ventral scales of thigh keeled; subtibial scales raised, keeled, juxtaposed, with no enlarged anterior row; plantar scales smooth, juxtaposed, raised; no enlarged submetatarsal scales beneath first metatarsal; digits elongate with an inflected joint; claws recurved; subdigital lamellae unnotched; lamellae wide throughout digit; interdigital webbing absent to weak; toes increase in length from first to fourth with fourth being slightly longer than fifth; 31 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; caudal scales arranged in segmented whorls; dorsal caudal scales flat anteriorly, keeled, juxtaposed; deep middorsal and lateral caudal furrows; subcaudal scales keeled; median row of enlarged, keeled, subcaudal scales posteriorly; caudal tubercles encircle tail; tubercles absent from lateral furrows; two enlarged, postcloacal tubercles on lateral surface of hemipenal swellings at base of tail.

Color pattern ( Fig. 69 ). The type material was collected between 1899 and 1925 and is currently devoid of pattern save for some very faint markings. Smedley (1928) provides a brief color description taken from notes made in the field by Mr. F. N. Chasen in 1925 as follows: “Greyish-green above, blotched with brown; brighter green before eyes. Light rings on tail greyish-white; dark rings greenish brown. Below whitish. Distinct large brown spots on head and shoulders. Chiefly dark brown above; large oval spots on neck, nape and shoulders and no green anywhere.” From these descriptions and what can be discerned from the type material, Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. has a series of medium-sized dark dorsal blotches alternating with similarly sized lighter blotches. The large, keeled, spinose caudal tubercles are accentuated by being white.

Variation. No useful color pattern variation can be gleamed from the faded condition of the type material. Meristic and mensural variation is listed in Table 15 .

Distribution. Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. is known only from the type locality of Pulau Siantan of the Anambas Archipelago, Riau Province, Indonesia ( Fig. 4 ). We expect that it occurs on other nearby islands such as Pulau Matak as well. Mr. F. N. Chasen made collections on Pulau Jimaja to the west and did not report this species.

Natural History. Nothing has been reported on the natural history of this species. Being that it is the only species of Cnemaspis thus far known from the Anambas Archipelago we suspect it is a habitat generalist.

Comparisons. Within the Southern Seribuat clade, Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. is differentiated from the species of the nigridia group ( C. dringi , C. nigridia and C. paripari ) by lacking as opposed to having precloacal pores; having fewer paravertebral tubercles (20–25 versus 265–43 collectively); having a single, enlarged, median row of keeled, subcaudal scales in the posterior portion of the tail as opposed to having smooth subcaudals throughout; having caudal tubercles that encircle the tail as opposed to lacking them; and having a greater number of subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (33–38 versus 26–35 collectively). From the other species of the kendallii group ( C. baueri , C. bidongensis , C. kendallii , C. mumpuniae sp. nov., C. pemanggilensis , and C. peninsularis sp. nov.), C. sundagekko sp. nov. differs from C. pemanggilensis by having a much smaller maximum SVL (68.0 mm versus 76.0 mm); fewer paravertebral tubercles (20–25 versus 30–37); a greater number of subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (33–38 versus 27–34); and white caudal tubercles. From C. mumpuniae sp. nov. it differs in having a larger maximum SVL (68.0 mm versus 60.9 mm) and a greater number of lamellae on the fourth toe (33–38 versus 29–34). From C. baueri , C. sundagekko sp. nov. can be separated on the basis of having a greater number of subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (33–38 versus 26–32) and a dorsal pattern lacking large black markings as opposed to having such markings. Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. can be differentiated from C. bidongensis by having a larger maximum SVL (68.0 mm versus 58.1 mm); a greater number of subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (33–38 versus 26–30); and the presence of white caudal tubercles. Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. can be differentiated from C. peninsularis sp. nov. by having a larger maximum SVL (68.0 mm versus 60.0 mm); a greater number of subdigital lamellae on the first toe (33–38 versus 27–33); and posterior one-half of the tail in males being weakly banded as opposed to solid black. Lastly, from C. limi , C. sundagekko sp. nov. is separated by having a much smaller maximum SVL (68.0 mm versus 88.2 mm); fewer paravertebral tubercles (20–25 versus 25–35); a row of ventrolateral caudal tubercles; keeled as opposed to smooth subcaudal scales; and caudal tubercles that do not encircle the tail. Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. can be differentiated from C. sundainsula sp. nov. by having a much smaller maximum SVL (68.0 mm versus 84.5 mm); 11–13 versus 9–11 supralabials; fewer paravertebral tubercles (20–25 versus 26–37); keeled as opposed to smooth subcaudals; caudal tubercles that encircle the tail; and a greater number of subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (33–38 versus 26–31).

Relationships. Based on distribution, we hypothesize that Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. is part of the Southern Sunda clade and within that clade, it aligns itself with the kendallii group by lacking precloacal pores and having caudal tubercles that encircle the tail ( Table 6 ).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Distribution of the species in the Pattani and Southern Sunda clades. Stars indicate type localities.

FIGURE 69. Type series of Cnemaspis sundagekko sp. nov. from Pulau Siantan, Anambas Archipelago, Riau Province, Indonesia. Upper: adult male holotype USNM 26549 (far left) and adult male paratypes USNM 26547–48 middle and right, respectively. Lower: paratypes ZRC. 2.1109–11 from left to right, respectively.