Cnemaspis mcguirei, 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 : 14-18

Cnemaspis mcguirei sp. nov.

McGuire’s Rock Gecko

Figures 2, 7

Gonatodes affinis Laidlaw 1901:304 ; Boulenger 1903:148, 1912:38; Smith 1930:16

Gonatodes kendalli Boulenger 1912:38

Cnemaspis kendallii (part) Das and Bauer 1998:13

Holotype. Adult male ( ZRC 2.6765 ) collected on 24 March 2008 by L. Lee Grismer at 0130 hrs at 1351 m from Bukit Larut , Perak, Peninsular Malaysia (04°51.715 N, 100°47.993).

Paratypes. Collection locality and collector of the paratypes is the same as that for the holotype. The paratypes were collected between 2030 and 0200 hrs. ZRC 2.6766 – 67 (males; 24 March 2008) ; ZRC 2.6768 (female; 24 March 2008) ; and ZRC 2.6769 (female; 25 March 2008) .

Diagnosis. Cnemaspis mcguirei differs from all other Southeast Asian species of Cnemaspis in having the unique combination of adult males reaching 65.2 mm SVL, adult females reaching 55.1 mm SVL; 7–9 supralabials; seven or eight infralabials; large, lateral postmentals separated at midline by one or two smaller postmentals; forearm scales, subtibials, ventrals, subcaudals, and dorsal tubercles keeled; 26–32 paravertebral tubercles; tubercles on flanks, relatively small, not linearly arranged; lateral, caudal tubercles 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 or three postcloacal tubercles; femoral pores absent; discontinuous or continuous row of 5–10 precloacal, pore-bearing scales; subtibials not shieldlike; no enlarged, submetatarsal scales; 30–35 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; no distinct, large, dark spots on neck; dark shoulder patch enclosing two white to yellow ocelli; prominent, wide, yellow to white, postscapular band; light markings on flanks; distinct, dark, caudal bands absent; subcaudal region pigmented, not immaculate. These differences are summarized across all Southeast Asian species in Grismer et al. (2008b: Table 1).

Description of holotype. Adult male; SVL 59.1 mm; head oblong in dorsal profile, moderate in size (HL/ SVL 0.25), somewhat narrow (HW/SVL 0.16), flattened (HD/HL 0.42), distinct from neck; snout short (ES/ HL 0.46), slightly concave in lateral profile; postnasal region constricted medially, flat; scales of rostrum keeled, raised, larger than conical scales on occiput; prominent, supraorbital ridges; shallow 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 80% divided by longitudinal groove; rostral bordered posteriorly by supranasals and one small, azygous scale and laterally by first supralabials; 8 (R,L) raised supralabials of similar size; 7 (R,L) infralabials, decreasing in size posteriorly; nostrils elliptical, oriented posterodorsally; bordered posteriorly by small, granular, postnasal scales; mental large, triangular, bordered posteriorly by three postmentals, outer two largest; gular scales raised; throat scales larger and conical.

Body slender, elongate; small, keeled, dorsal scales equal in size throughout body, intermixed with several large, multicarinate tubercles more or less randomly arranged; tubercles extend from occiput to base of tail; tubercles on flanks not enlarged, moderate in size; pectoral and abdominal scales strongly keeled, raised, slightly elongate, slightly larger posteriorly; abdominal scales slightly larger than dorsals; six continuous, precloacal, pore-bearing scales arranged in a chevron; precloacal depression absent; femoral pores absent; forelimbs moderately long, slender; dorsal scales of brachium raised, keeled; dorsal scales of forearm same as brachials; ventral scales of brachium smooth, raised, juxtaposed; scales beneath forearm, weakly keeled, raised; palmar scales smooth, juxtaposed, raised; digits long with an inflected joint; claws recurved; subdigital lamellae unnotched; lamellae beneath first phalanges 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, raised, juxtaposed; scales of anterior margin of thigh keeled; ventral scales of thigh keeled; subtibials 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 granular proximally, widened 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 and fifth equal in length; 33 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; caudal scales arranged in segmented whorls; dorsal caudal scales raised, keeled, juxtaposed anteriorly; shallow middorsal caudal furrow; deeper, single lateral furrow; no enlarged, median, subcaudal scales; subcaudals keeled; no median row of enlarged, keeled, subcaudal scales; transverse tubercle rows do not encircle tail; caudal tubercles present in lateral furrow; two enlarged, postcloacal tubercles on lateral surface of hemipenial swelling at base of tail; tail 1.32% of SVL.

Coloration (in life, Fig. 2). Dorsal ground color grey to brown; head and body overlain with irregularly shaped, dark blotches; light markings on top of head; dark, postorbital stripe extending onto nape contacting dark, anteriorly projecting, median stripe; medial, white marking on nape followed by distinct, large, black shoulder patches enclosing two yellow ocelli, one dorsal to forelimb insertion point and another anterior to forelimb insertion point; shoulder patch edged posteriorly by wide, postscapular band that is yellow laterally and white medially; irregularly shaped, paravertebral, white markings on dorsum extending to base of tail; transversely elongate, distinct, yellow markings on flanks; diffuse brown and dull white bands encircle tail; irregularly shaped, dark and light markings on limbs; dark and light, diffuse bands encircling digits; ventral surfaces of head, body, and limbs dull beige, immaculate, darkening laterally; subcaudal region suffused with pigment, not immaculate.

Variation. Females ( ZRC 2.6768 – 69 ) are generally less boldly marked than the holotype ( Fig. 7). The anterior shoulder ocellus in ZRC 2.6767 is faint and it has a completely regenerated, unicolor tail. Coloration in this species lightens considerably at night and the dark shoulder patch is reduced to a small, black spot enclosing only the dorsal ocellus. Morphometric variation and variation in scalation is presented in Table 3 .

Boulenger (1903) reported on four specimens of Cnemaspis affinis from Namtok Sai Khao, Pattani, Thailand taken at approximately 800 m in elevation. He described them as having “a large black spot with a bright yellow ‘eye’ in the centre [a dark shoulder patch with an ocellus] and bordered posteriorly with the same shade, just behind the forelimbs [a postsacral band], these markings being far more conspicuous in the male than in the female”. We have examined color, digital photographs of this series (BM 1903.4.15.11–14) and find them to be C. mcguirei .

Distribution. Cnemaspis mcguirei is known from the Bintang Range ( Fig. 1) at Gunung Inas ( Laidlaw 1901; Boulenger 1912) and Bukit Larut ( Fig. 1). We have examined an adult female (DWNP 1239) from Gunung Bubu, Perak, also part of the Bintang Range, that has all the diagnostic characters of the females of C. mcguirei from Bukit Larut and which we consider to belong to this species. The Bintang Range continues northward to the border of Thailand where it merges with the more extensive Titi Wangsa Range. From here, this mountain system continues further to the northeast as a series of smaller, parallel, north to south tending ranges, terminating just south of Pattani, Pattani Province. Namtok Sai Khao lies on the northeast perimeter of this range and represents the northernmost extent of the distribution of C. mcguirei .

Natural History. Cnemaspis mcguirei is a upland species found in hill dipterocarp and lower montane forests which are periodically cloaked in cloud cover. Here, lizards are usually found on granite rocks not covered in moss ( Fig. 8) or on the parts of the rocks where the moss is not growing. Only occasionally have we seen this species on logs although Boulenger (1903) noted they were common on tree trunks at Namtok Sai Khao. Lizards were commonly observed during the day on the edges of their crevice retreats or clinging upside down on the shaded, undersides of large rocks and would quickly run for deeper cover at the slightest provocation. At night, however, they would venture further out onto the rock surface and were easily approached. We have observed specimens abroad at night at Bukit Larut during heavy rain storms, resting in dry, open, rocky patches sheltered from water.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Professor Jimmy A. McGuire for his extensive and insightful contributions into the evolutionary biology of some of the more complex components of the herpetofauna of Southeast Asia and for his tireless field work and observations at Bukit Larut which ultimately resulted in the discovery of other new species of amphibians and reptiles.

Material examined. Perak: Bukit Larut ZRC 2.6765 – 69 (type series) ; ZRC 2.5663 – 64 ; Gunung Bubu DWNP 1239 .