Cnemaspis tarutaoensis, Ampai, Natee, Rujirawan, Attapol, Jr, Perry L. Wood, Stuart, Bryan L. & Anchalee Aowphol,, 2019
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publication ID |
https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.858.34297 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9B2E9663-2364-45C7-970E-260846A9734C |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/2CC40C54-6C03-71C9-6F8A-5BD43D6D9CB7 |
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treatment provided by |
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scientific name |
Cnemaspis tarutaoensis |
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sp. nov. |
Cnemaspis tarutaoensis sp. nov. Figures 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5 , 6 View Figure 6
Holotype
( Figs 3A View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5 ). ZMKU R 00763, adult male from Thailand, Satun Province, Mueang Satun District, Tarutao National Park, Tarutao Island, Pha Toe Boo (6°42.1854'N, 99°38.8956'E; 2 m a.s.l.; Fig. 7A View Figure 7 ), collected on 5 November 2017 by Natee Ampai, Attapol Rujirawan, Siriporn Yodthong, and Korkwan Termprayoon.
Paratypes
( Figs 3b View Figure 3 , 6 View Figure 6 ). Twelve paratypes (adult males = 6, adult females = 6). ZMKU R 00761-00762, ZMKU R 00764 (3 adult males), THNHM 28201-28202, ZMKU R 00758-00760 (5 adult females), bear the same collection data as holotype. THNHM 28203 (1 adult male), same data as holotype except collected 5 April 2018. ZMKU R 00765 (1 adult male), same data as holotype except collected at Tham Chorakhae (6°41.7966'N, 99°39.0426'E; 37 m a.s.l.; Fig. 7B View Figure 7 ), collected 7 November 2017. ZMKU R 00766 (1 adult female) and THNHM 28205 (1 adult male), same data as holotype except collected at karst forest near stream (6°39.759'N, 99°39.1596'E; 53 m a.s.l.; Fig. 7C View Figure 7 ), collected 5 April 2018.
Referred specimens.
THNHM 28204 (one juvenile), same data as holotype except collected 5 April 2018.
Diagnosis.
Cnemaspis tarutaoensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other Cnemaspis by having the following combination of characters: (1) adult males with maximum snout-vent length (SVL) 36.4 mm (mean 34.7 ± SD 1.5, n = 7) and females with maximum SVL 34.8 mm (mean 33.7 ± SD 0.6, n = 6); (2) 8-9 supralabials and 8 infralabials; (3) 4-5 pore-bearing precloacal scales, pores rounded; (4) 17-19 paravertebral tubercles, small in size, randomly arranged; (5) 27-29 subdigital lamellae under the 4th toe; (6) subcaudal region yellowish, scales smooth with a single enlarged median subcaudal row; (7) one postcloacal tubercles on each side; (8) no sexual dimorphism in dorsal and ventral patterns; and (9) black gular markings present in males and females. These differences are summarized for geographically close congeners in the kumpoli group (Table 4).
Description of holotype.
Adult male; SVL 36.3 mm; head moderate in size (HL/SVL 0.28), elongate, narrow (HW/SVL 0.15), flattened (HD/HL 0.33), distinct from neck; snout moderate (ES/HL 0.42), in lateral view slightly concave; postnasal region constricted medially; scales of rostrum, raised, smooth, larger than conical scales on occiput; faint supraorbital ridges; gular and throat scales raised, smooth and round; shallow frontorostral sulcus; canthus rostralis nearly absent, smoothly rounded; eye large (ED/HL 0.18); pupil round; ear opening oval, taller than wide; rostral slightly concave, dorsal 80% divided by longitudinal median groove; rostral bordered posteriorly by supranasal and laterally by first supralabial; 9, 9 (right, left) slightly raised supralabials decreasing in size posteriorly; 8, 8 (right, left) infralabials decreasing in size posteriorly; nostril elliptical, oriented posterodorsally, bordered posteriorly by small, granular postnasal scales; mental large, triangular, bordered posteriorly by three large postmentals.
Body slender, elongate (AG/SVL 0.39); small, raised and equal in sized, dorsal scales throughout body intermixed with several large, multicarinate tubercles random ly arranged; 19 paravertebral tubercles; tubercles absent on lower flanks; tubercles extend from occiput to base of tail; dorsal scales slightly raised and keeled; pectoral and abdominal scales smooth and round, flat to concave, slightly larger than dorsal scales and not larger posteriorly; ventral scales of brachia raised, smooth and juxtaposed; four pores-bearing precloacal scales arranged in a chevron, separated; precloacal pore rounded; precloacal depression absent; femoral pores absent.
Fore and hind limbs moderately long, slender; scales beneath forearm slightly raised, smooth and subimbricate; subtibial scales keeled; palmar scales smooth and juxtaposed; digits elongate, slender, inflected joint and bearing slightly recurved claws; subdigital lamellae unnotched; lamellae beneath first phalanges wide; lamellae beneath phalanx immediately following inflection granular; lamellae of distal phalanges wide; lamellae beneath inflection large; interdigital webbing absent; enlarge submetatarsal scales on 1st toe absent; fingers increase in length from first to fourth with fourth and fifth nearly equal in length; relative length of fingers IV>V>III>II>I; toes increase in length from first to fifth with fourth and fifth nearly equal in length; relative length of toes IV>V>III>II>I; total number of subdigital lamellae on 4th toe 28, 28 (right, left).
Caudal and subcaudal scales smooth, similar to dorsal scale size; lateral caudal furrow present; lateral caudal tubercle row absent; enlarge caudal tubercles at the base of tail not encircling tail; enlarged median subcaudal scales row present; tail length (TL) 34.3 mm with broken at tail tip; enlarged postcloacal tubercle 1, 1 (right, left) on lateral surface of hemipenial swellings at the base of tail.
Coloration in life
( Figs 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 ). Dorsal ground color of head light brown; top of the head bearing small black, sage and yellowish marking; snout yellowish; dorsal ground color of body, limbs and tail light brown with dark brown to black irregular blotches; ground color of ventral surfaces grayish white intermixed with light yellowish blotches; gular and throat regions are beige and light yellow; anterior gular region yellowish; midgular region with faint, dark lineate marking; thin, faint black postorbital stripe; light sage vertebral blotches extending from the nape to tail; flanks with irregular incomplete sage to yellowish blotches becoming smaller posteriorly; limbs yellowish brown with dark brown incomplete irregular spots subcaudal region yellowish; wide dark brown to black and yellow bands on tail.
Coloration in preservative
( Fig. 5 View Figure 5 ). Color pattern similar to that in life with some fading. Dorsal ground color of head, body, limbs and tail brown with vertebral blotches indistinct; irregular pale marking; top of head with indistinct darker marking; all yellow markings faded to whitish gray; dorsal surfaces of limbs with irregular light and dark blotches; entire ventral surface whitish gray; gular region with faint dark lineate marking.
Variation.
Most paratypes approximate the holotype in general aspects of color pattern ( Fig. 6 View Figure 6 ), with most differences found in the degree of vertebral blotches. ZMKU R 00761 (adult male) has dark spots in gular region. ZMKU R 00762 and ZMKU R 00765 (two adult males) have lighter gular markings than the holotype. THNHM 28201 and ZMKU R 00760 (two adult females) have lighter dorsal markings than the holotype. ZMKU R 00762 and THNHM 28205 (two adult males) have a pattern that resembles transverse bands rather than paravertebral blotches. ZMKU R 00762 and ZMKU R 00765 (two adult males) have regenerated tails of uniform tan coloration. THNHM 28202 (adult female) and THNHM 28203 and THNHM 28205 (two adult males) have broken tails. THNHM 28205 (adult male) is an adult male with five continuous precloacal pores. Meristic and mensural variation within the type series are presented in Table 5.
Distribution and natural history.
Cnemaspis tarutaoensis sp. nov. is known only from the type locality on Tarutao Island, approximately 40 km off the coast of Thailand. All specimens were found in karst forest near mangroves and karst outcrops near a stream ( Fig. 7 View Figure 7 ). Nine specimens (ZMKU R 00759-00760, ZMKU R 00762-00763, ZMKU R 00765-00766, and THNHM 28202-28204) were collected during the day (1100-1805 h) and five specimens (ZMKU R 00758, ZMKU R 00761, ZMKU R 00764, THNHM 28201 and THNHM 28205) were collected during the night (1920-2106 h). The male holotype was found during the day (1724 h) upside down on the interior surface of the karst formation.
Paratypes found during the day (ZMKU R 00759 and 00760, ZMKU R 00762 and 00763, ZMKU R 00765-00766, and THNHM 28202-28204) were in shaded areas, cracks, and crevices of rock boulders. When disturbed, some individuals would retreat into cracks and crevices, or hide in shaded areas of the rock boulder. Paratypes found at night (ZMKU R 00758, ZMKU R 00761, ZMKU R 00764, THNHM 28201 and THNHM 28205) were in deep crevices, within cracks on the shaded (by day) surfaces of boulders, or perched on vegetation near karst. Three gravid females (ZMKU R 00758, ZMKU R 00760, and THNHM 28202) contained two eggs during November 2017. THNHM 28204 (juvenile) was observed on vegetation near a rock boulder on 5 April 2018. At night, Cyrtodactylus cf. astrum was found in syntopy on rock boulders and karst formations with C. tarutaoensis sp. nov.
Etymology.
The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the new species.
Comparisons.
Cnemaspis tarutaoensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other members of the kumpoli group ( C. biocellata , C. kumpoli , C. monachorum , and C. niyomwanae ) by having a maximum SVL of 36.4 mm (vs 32.9 mm in C. monachorum , 40.2 mm in C. biocellata , 63.0 mm in C. kumpoli , and 56.8 mm in C. niyomwanae ).
Cnemaspis tarutaoensis sp. nov. is further distinguished from C. monachorum by having eight infralabial scales (vs 5-7 in C. monachorum ). The new species is further distinguished from C. biocellata , C. monachorum and C. niyomwanae by having 4-5 precloacal pores (vs 6-12 in C. biocellata and three in C. monachorum and C. niyomwanae ). The new species is further distinguished from C. biocellata , C. kumpoli , and C. niyomwanae by having 17-19 paravertebral tubercles (vs 21-27 in C. biocellata , 28-35 in C. kumpoli and 26-31 in C. niyomwanae ). The new species is further distinguished from C. biocellata and C. kumpoli by lacking tubercles on lower flanks (vs present in C. biocellata and C. kumpoli ). The new species is further distinguished from C. biocellata , C. kumpoli and C. niyomwanae by having 26-29 lamellae under the 4th toe (vs 29-37 in C. biocellata , 34-41 in C. kumpoli , and 31-34 in C. niyomwanae ).
Cnemaspis tarutaoensis sp. nov. is further distinguished from C. kumpoli , C. monachorum and C. niyomwanae by having yellow coloration in the subcaudal region and wide black and yellow bands on tail (vs lacking in C. kumpoli , C. monachorum , and C. niyomwanae ). The new species is further distinguished from C. biocellata , C. kumpoli , and C. niyomwanae by lacking a sexually dimorphic dorsal color pattern (vs present in C. biocellata , C. kumpoli , and C. niyomwanae ). The new species is further distinguished from C. monachorum and C. biocellata by lacking lateral caudal tubercle row (vs present in C. monachorum and C. biocellata ). The new species is distinguished from C. biocellata , C. kumpoli , and C. niyomwanae by having gular marking (vs lacking in C. biocellata , C. kumpoli , and C. niyomwanae ).
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