Cnemaspis bayuensis, 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 : 7-9

Cnemaspis bayuensis sp. nov.

Gua Bayu Rock Gecko

Figures 2, 3

Holotype. Adult male ( ZRC 2.6759 ) collected on 24 June 2008 by Jesse L. Grismer, Perry L. Wood, Jr., and L. Lee Grismer at 1030 hrs at 120 m from Gua Bayu , Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia (05°05.650 N, 102°13.265 E).

Paratypes. Collection locality, date and time of collection, and collectors of the paratypes are the same as that for the holotype. ZRC 2.6760 and LSUHC 9073 are males and ZRC 2.6761 is a female .

Diagnosis. Cnemaspis bayuensis differs from all other Southeast Asian species of Cnemaspis in having the unique combination of adult males reaching 46.1 mm SVL, adult females reaching 45.2 mm SVL; 9–10 supralabials; large, lateral postmentals separated at midline by 1–3 smaller postmentals; eight or nine infralabials; forearm, subtibials, ventrals, subcaudals, and dorsal tubercles keeled; 25–30 paravertebral tubercles; tubercles on flanks, relatively small and not linearly arranged; lateral caudal tubercles may or may not be within lateral caudal furrow; ventrolateral caudal tubercles present anteriorly; median subcaudal row not enlarged or keeled; subcaudals keeled; two postcloacal tubercles; femoral pores absent; discontinuous or continuous row of 5–9 precloacal scales bearing pores; subtibial scales not shield-like; no enlarged submetatarsal scales; 27–30 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; no distinct, large, dark spots on neck; no dark shoulder patch enclosing ocelli; no light, postscapular band; white markings on flanks; indistinct, dark, caudal bands; 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 45.1 mm; head oblong in dorsal profile, moderate in size (HL/ SVL 0.25), somewhat narrow (HW/SVL 0.17), flattened (HD/HL 0.42), distinct from neck; snout short (ES/ HL 0.49), slightly concave in lateral profile; postnasal region constricted medially, flat; scales of rostrum weakly 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 0.22); 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; 10R, 9L raised supralabials of similar size; 9R, 8L infralabials, slightly decreasing in size posteriorly; nostrils elliptical, oriented posterodorsally; bordered posteriorly by small, gran- ular, postnasal scales; mental large, triangular, bordered posteriorly by three large postmentals, outer two largest, not contacting 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, multicarinate tubercles more or less randomly arranged; tubercles extend from occiput to base of tail; tubercles on flanks not enlarged, moderate in size; 27 paravertebral tubercles; pectoral and abdominal scales strongly keeled, not elongate, same size throughout; abdominal scales slightly larger than dorsals; eight continuous, precloacal scales bearing pores arranged in a chevron; precloacal depression absent; femoral pores absent; forelimbs moderately long, slender; dorsal scales of brachium not raised, weakly keeled; dorsal scales of forearm keeled, slightly raised; ventral scales of brachium and forearm smooth, raised, juxtaposed; 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 weakly keeled; subtibial scales 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; 29 subdigital lamellae on fourth toe; dorsal caudal scales arranged in segmented whorls, flat anteriorly, weakly keeled, juxtaposed; shallow middorsal 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 may or may not be present in lateral furrow; two enlarged, postcloacal tubercles on lateral surface of hemipenial swellings at base of tail; tail 0.82% of SVL,

Coloration (in life, Fig. 2). Dorsal ground color brown; head and body overlain with irregularly shaped dark spots; light markings on occiput; rostrum yellowish with dark streaks; single, thin, dark, postorbital stripes extending onto nape but not contacting medially; dark, anteriorly projecting, triangular marking between them; paravertebral, white markings on nape followed by distinct, white, alternating, paravertebral blotches extending to base of tail; distinct, transversely elongate, white markings on flanks; diffuse brown and mottled white bands encircle tail; irregularly shaped, dark and light markings on limbs; dark and light, diffuse bands encircling digits; gular region with faint, brown, reticulate pattern; ventral surfaces of body and limbs dull beige, immaculate, darkening laterally; subcaudal region suffused with pigment. There is no sexual dimorphism in color pattern.

Variation. Paratypes approach the holotype in coloration and pattern ( Fig. 3). ZRC 2.6761 is darker overall with distinct, dark blotches on the body and thin, elongate, white markings on the flanks. Subcaudal keeling is faint in the holotype, but prominent in the paratypes . ZRC 2.6760 – 61 show evidence of diffuse caudal banding which is not present in the holotype or LSUHC 9073 . The tail is 1.20% of the SVL in ZRC 2.6760 and 1.34% of the SVL in ZRC 2.6761 . Morphometric variation and variation in scalation is presented in Table 1 .

Distribution. Cnemaspis bayuensis is known only from the Gua Bayu Cave region at Kampung Bayu, Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia ( Fig. 1).

Natural History. Cnemaspis bayuensis is a saxicolous species that appears to be restricted to the cone karst outcroppings of the Gua Bayu region surrounding the village of Bayu. Here, specimens were found during the day along the periphery of the karst formations as opposed to being deep within the cave systems. Specimens were seen in cracks ( Fig. 4) as well as on the cave walls and ceilings as high as 5 m above the ground. One specimen ( ZRC 2.6760 ) was found on the side of an isolated piece of karst on the forest floor. Nine individuals were observed and all matched the coloration of the substrate upon which they were sitting. ZRC 2.6760 was nearly black, matching the color of the lichen on the isolated karst fragment on which it was collected. Approximately 10 m away on the nearly white cave wall, the very light-colored holotype ( ZRC 2.6759 ) was collected. The color pattern of all Cnemaspis lightens significantly at night, however, it is not known how the color pattern of this species may change. ZRC 2.6761 was a gravid female carrying two eggs .

Etymology. The specific epithet bayuensis is in reference to the type locality of Kampung Bayu. The Latin suffix - ensis is a derivation meaning “from” or “inhabiting” and renders the specific epithet an adjective that must be in grammatical accord with the gender of Cnemaspis .

Material examined. Kelantan: Kampung Bayu LSUHC 9070–73 (type series) .