Abstract
The number of species in the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 has grown rapidly, and it currently comprises more than 100 species (Grismer et al. 2014; Amarasinghe et al. 2015). The Sri Lankan endemic and vulnerable day-gecko Cnemaspis podihuna Deraniyagala, 1944 (Ministry of the Environment 2012) was first described by Deraniyagala from the Lahugala-Maha Oya, Eastern Province on the basis of one holotype and four paratypes [incorrectly reported as three paratypes by Karunarathna et al. 2010]. There had been no further collections or sightings made of this species until Wickramasinghe (2000) rediscovered the species from Koslanda in the Badulla District (National Museums of Sri Lanka, Colombo, NMSL RG 21a–e). Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa (2007) collected a further four specimens (NMSL 20061001–4) around the type locality. Recently, Sri Lankan members of the day-gecko genus Cnemaspis were reviewed and redescribed morphologically by two groups of researchers: Wickramasinghe and Munindradasa (2007) and Manamendra-Arachchi et al. (2007). The former group considered the holotype lost. Therefore, they designated a neotype plus syntypes for C. podihuna. This action was invalidated by Pethiyagoda (2007) following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN 1999).
References
Amarasinghe, A.A.T. & Bauer, A.M. (2009) On the holotype of Cnemaspis podihuna Deraniyagala, 1944. Taprobanica, 1, 80–82.
Amarasinghe, A.A.T., Bauer, A.M., Ineich, I., Rudge, J., Bahir, M.M. & Gabadage, D.E. (2009) The original descriptions and figures of Sri Lankan gekkonid lizards (Squamata: Gekkonidae) of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Taprobanica, 1, 83–106.
Amarasinghe, A.A.T., Harvey, M.B., Riyanto, A. & Smith, E.N. (2015) A new species of Cnemaspis (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from Sumatra, Indonesia. Herpetologica, 71, 160–167.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-14-00034Deraniyagala, P.E.P. (1944) A new Cnemaspis gecko from Ceylon. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch), 36, 226–227.
Grismer, L.L., Wood, P.L. Jr., Anuar, S., Riyanto, A., Ahmad, N., Muin, M.A., Sumontha, M., Grismer, J.L., Chan, K.O., Quah, E.S.H. & Pauwels, O.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), 1–147.
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3880.1.1International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (1999) International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. 4th Edition. International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature, London, 306 pp.
Kandamby, D. (1997) Herpetological types reposed in the National Museum Colombo, Sri Lanka. Lyriocephalus, 3, 31–33.
Karunarathna D.M.S.S., Amarasinghe, A.A.T., Abeywardena, U.T.I., Asela, M.D.C., Jayaneththi, H.B. & Madurapperuma, P.L. (2010) Some observations of Cnemaspis podihuna Deraniyagala, 1944 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka. Gekko, 6, 23–29.
Manamendra-Arachchi, K., Batuwita S. & Pethiyagoda, R. (2007) A taxonomic revision of the Sri Lankan day-geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis), with description of new species from Sri Lanka and Southern India. Zeylanica, 7, 9–122.
Ministry of the Environment (2012) The National Red List 2012 of Sri Lanka; Conservation Status of the Fauna and Flora. Ministry of Environment, Colombo, 476 pp.
Pethiyagoda, R. (2007) The new species syndrome in Sri Lankan herpetology: a cautionary note. Zeylanica, 7, 1–7.
Strauch, A. (1887) Bermerkungen über die Geckonidensammlung im zoologischen Museum der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu St. Petersburg. Mémoires de l’Académie Impériale des Sciences de St. Pétersbourg, 35, 1–72.
Wickramasinghe, L.J.M. (2000) A new record of Cnemaspis podihuna from Badulla District. Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Naturalist, 3, 3–6.
Wickramasinghe, L.J.M. & Munindradasa, D.A.I. (2007) Review of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka with the description of five new species. Zootaxa, 1490, 1–63.