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Issue: Vol. 2576 No. 1: 25 Aug. 2010
Type: Articles
Published: 2010-08-25
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2576.1.3
Page range: 59–68
Abstract views: 38
PDF downloaded: 2

A new endemic rock Gecko Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Gunung Jerai, Kedah, northwestern Peninsular Malaysia

Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia Department of Biology, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, California, 92515-8247 USA
Department of Biology, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, California, 92515-8247 USA
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia
School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia
Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Minden, Penang, Malaysia
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, E145 Corson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853 USA
Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, Pennsylvania, 92108 USA
School of Environment and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Department of Biology, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, California, 92515-8247 USA
Department of Biology, La Sierra University, 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, California, 92515-8247 USA
Reptilia Cnemaspis harimau Gunung Jerai herpetofauna Kedah Peak new species taxonomy

Abstract

A new species of endemic Cnemaspis is described from Gunung Jerai (also known as Kedah Peak) in the northwestern state of Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. Cnemaspis harimau sp. nov. differs from all other Sundaland congeners except C. affinis, C. biocellata, C. kumpoli, C. mcguirei, C. pseudomcguirei, and C. shahruli in having a black shoulder patch with a white or yellow ocellus anteriorly located. It is most similar in appearance to its sister species, C. affinis, but differs by having a smaller maximum SVL of 40.7 mm vs. 50.8 mm; three vs. five postmentals; caudal tubercles encircling vs. not encircling tail; lateral caudal tubercles on anterior 25% of tail highly spinose and protruding vs. slightly spinose; and an overall higher degree of scale keeling (most prominent on the tail). The discovery of another montane endemic once again highlights the understudied nature of Peninsular Malaysia’s extensive mountain ranges.

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