Cnemaspis karsticola, Grismer & Grismer & Wood & Onn, 2008

Grismer, L. Lee, Grismer, Jesse L., Wood, Perry L. & Onn, Chan Kin, 2008, The distribution, taxonomy, and redescription of the geckos Cnemaspis affinis (Stoliczka 1887) and C. flavolineata (Nicholls 1949) with descriptions of a new montane species and two new lowland, karst- dwelling species from Peninsular Malaysia, Zootaxa 1931, pp. 1-24 : 12-14

Cnemaspis karsticola sp. nov.

Karst-dwelling Rock Gecko

Figures 2, 5

Holotype. Adult male ( ZRC 2.6765 ) collected on 19 June 2008 by L. Lee Grimser, Jesse L. Grismer, and Perry L. Wood, Jr. at 1530 hrs at 113 m from Gunung Reng , Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia (05°42.905 N, 101°44.726 E).

Paratypes. Collection locality, date and time of collection, and collectors of the paratypes are the same as that for the holotype. LSUHC 9054 is a male and ZRC 2.6763 — 64 are females .

Diagnosis. Cnemaspis karsticola differs from all other Southeast Asian species of Cnemaspis in having the unique combination of adult males reaching 48.1 mm SVL, adult females reaching 43.3 mm SVL; seven or eight supralabials; eight or nine infralabials; large, lateral postmentals not separated, meeting at midline; forearm, subtibials, ventrals, subcaudals, and dorsal tubercles keeled; 17–19 paravertebral tubercles; tubercles on flanks, large, conical, not linearly arranged; lateral caudal tubercles not within lateral caudal furrow; ventrolateral, caudal tubercles present anteriorly; median, subcaudal row not enlarged; subcaudals keeled; no keeled, median subcaudal row of enlarged scales; two postcloacal tubercles; femoral pores absent; continuous row of seven or eight precloacal, pore-bearing scales; subtibial scales not shield-like; no enlarged submetatarsal scales; 27–30 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; no distinct, large, dark spots on neck; no white spots on flanks; no dark shoulder patch enclosing ocelli; no light, postscapular band; indistinct, dark, caudal bands; subcaudal region white, immaculate. These differences are summarized across all Southeast Asian species in Grismer et al. (2008b: Table 1).

Description of holotype. Adult male; SVL 42.2 mm; head oblong in dorsal profile, moderate in size (HL/ SVL 0.26), somewhat narrow (HW/SVL 0.17), flattened (HD/HL 0.41), distinct from neck; snout short (ES/ HL 0.47), slightly concave in lateral profile; postnasal region constricted medially, flat; scales of rostrum keeled, slightly raised, larger than similarly shaped scales on occiput; low, supraorbital ridges; no frontorostral sulcus; canthus rostralis nearly absent, smoothly rounded; eye large (ED/HL 0.20); extra-brillar fringe scales largest anteriorly; pupil round; ear opening oval, taller than wide; rostral slightly concave, dorsal 75% divided by longitudinal groove; rostral bordered posteriorly by supranasals and three small, azygous scales and laterally by first supralabial; 10R, 9L raised supralabials of similar size; 8 (R,L) infralabials, not decreasing in size posteriorly; nostrils elliptical, oriented dorsoposteriorly; bordered posteriorly by small, granular, postnasal scales; mental large, pentagonal, bordered posteriorly by two large postmentals meeting medially; gular scales slightly raised, weakly keeled; throat scales larger, keeled.

Body slender, elongate; small, keeled, dorsal scales equal in size throughout body, intermixed with several large, conical, multicarinate tubercles more or less randomly arranged; tubercles extend from occiput to base of tail; tubercles on flanks large and conical; pectoral and abdominal scales weakly keeled, not elongate, same size throughout; abdominal scales slightly larger than dorsals; eight continuous precloacal, pore-bearing scales arranged in a chevron; precloacal depression present in males; femoral pores absent; forelimbs moderately long, slender; dorsal scales of brachium raised, keeled, juxtaposed; dorsal scales of forearm raised, keeled; ventral scales of brachium and forearm smooth, subimbricate; palmar scales smooth, juxtaposed, raised; digits long with an inflected joint; claws recurved; subdigital lamellae unnotched; lamellae beneath first phalanges somewhat granular proximally, widened distally; lamellae beneath phalanx immediately following inflection granular, lamellae of distal phalanges wide; interdigital webbing present; fingers increase in length from first to fourth with fourth and fifth equal in length; hind limbs slightly longer and thicker than forelimbs; dorsal scales of thigh keeled, juxtaposed; scales of anterior margin of thigh keeled; ventral scales of thigh weakly keeled; subtibials weakly keeled, flat, imbricate, with no enlarged anterior row; plantar scales smooth, juxtaposed, raised; no enlarged submetatarsal scales beneath first metatarsal; digits elongate with an inflected jointed; claws recurved; subdigital lamellae unnotched; lamellae beneath first phalanges not granular proximally but wider distally; lamellae beneath phalanx immediately following inflection granular, lamellae of distal phalanges wide; interdigital webbing present; toes increase in length from first to fourth with fourth being slightly longer than fifth; 27 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; caudal scales arranged in segmented whorls; dorsal, caudal scales flat anteriorly, weakly keeled, juxtaposed; shallow middorsal caudal furrow; deeper, single lateral furrow; no enlarged, median subcaudal scales; subcaudal scales keeled; no median row of enlarged, keeled subcaudal scales; caudal tubercles do not encircle tail; caudal tubercles absent from lateral furrow; three enlarged, postcloacal tubercles on lateral surface of hemipenial swelling at base of tail; tail 1.31% of SVL, posterior one-half regenerated.

Coloration (in life, Fig. 2). Dorsal ground color yellowish brown; head and body overlain with faded, irregularly shaped white markings; rostrum yellowish but lacking dark streaks; no dark, postorbital striping; three, dark, radiating, anteriorly projecting lines on occiput; five pairs of dark, paravertebral, markings extending from nape to base of tail; similar markings on flanks; no transversely elongate, white markings on flanks; irregularly shaped, dark and light markings on limbs; black and yellow, diffuse bands encircling digits; diffuse, alternating, light markings on top of tail; subcaudal region white, immaculate; regenerated portion of tail beige, immaculate.

Variation. The paratypes closely approach the holotype in all aspects of coloration and pattern ( Fig. 5). There is no sexual dimorphism in color pattern. ZRC 2.6764 has a broken tail and the posterior half of the tail of LSUHC 9054 is regenerated. Morphometric variation and variation in scalation is presented in Table 2.

Distribution. Cnemaspis karsticola is known only from the tower karst formation of Gunung Reng, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia ( Fig. 1).

Natural History. Cnemaspis karsticola is a saxicolous species believed here to be restricted to the karst outcropping of Gunung Reng. This is a large, isolated, tower karst formation situated along the east bank of the Pergau River at its junction with Batu Melintang. Gunung Reng reaches 200 m in elevation and contains one large, main cave with several entrances and at least eight other smaller caves. The base of the tower is undercut and numerous cracks and indentations accentuate and define its periphery ( Fig. 6). Lizards were found during the day along the periphery of the karst formation and within cracks on the shaded surfaces of large, disconnected, karst boulders that have fragmented and fallen off the core. Lizards were not found deep within the larger cave system. Specimens were seen in cracks, on shaded overhangs, and on the cave walls no more than 2 m above the ground. Six individuals were observed and all reasonably matched the coloration of the substrate upon which they were sitting. It is not known how the color pattern of this species may change during the evening.

Etymology. The specific epithet karsticola comes from the word karst, a particular form of limestone outcropping and the Latin suffix colo that means to inhabit or to dwell in.

Material examined. Kelantan: Gunung Reng ZRC 2.6762 – 64 , LSUHC 9054 (type series) .