News ≫ New rainforest gecko joins growing list of reptiles unique to Sri Lanka

New rainforest gecko joins growing list of reptiles unique to Sri Lanka

Jun 12, 2019
Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Email

A new species of day gecko, Cnemaspis godagedarai, has been described in Sri Lanka, bringing the island’s number of endemic geckos in the genus Cnemaspis to 25. The new gecko, named after a national hero in the fight against British colonial rule, shares its microhabitat with seven other species of endemic reptiles, making the conservation of their habitat critical to their survival.

With more than 80 percent of Sri Lanka’s species being endemic to the island, and a majority of them restricted to the wet zone, the country needs special species conservation mechanisms, researchers say.

From the eastern fringe of Sri Lanka’s only rainforest, Sinharaja, scientists have described a new species of day gecko, the latest to join an ever-expanding list of remarkable reptiles found only on this Indian Ocean island.

The Godagedara’s day gecko (Cnemaspis godagedarai) is described in a paper published in the June edition of the journal Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, which places it in the unique microhabitat of Ensalwatte, in the southern district of Matara.

“The gecko was discovered in a mountainous area that lies between 700 and 800 meters [2,300 and 2,600 feet] above sea level and isolated from the rest of the forest canopy by streams,” herpetofaunal ecologist and lead author Suranjan Karunarathna told Mongabay. “This type of isolation is very special and the endemic species like this day gecko will be ‘point endemic,’” or restricted to a very small area.

“The highly restricted habitat shows that the species is susceptible to both localized and widespread threats. It is critically endangered due to having a very small geo-referenced location of about 500 miles [800 kilometers] radius,” Karunarathna said. The study says the species should be considered critically endangered under the IUCN Red List criteria.

The researchers named the new gecko after Godagedara Rate Adikaram, a national hero who fought in the uprising against the British colonial government from 1817 to 1818.

C. godagedarai becomes the 25th distinct species of Cnemaspis day gecko found only in Sri Lanka. According to the researchers,it closely resembles C. gemunu, C. phillipsi and C. scalpensis, though their localities are distinct within the Peak Wilderness area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Source – mongabay.com

Latest News

close
()