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Underestimated diversity of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) on karst landscapes in Sarawak, East Malaysia, Borneo

Izneil Nashriq & Indraneil Das

26 June 2021 | Vol. 13 | No. 7 | Pages: 18792–18799 DOI: 10.11609/jot.7195.13.7.18792-18799

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Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18792–18799 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) OPEN ACCESS htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.7195.13.7.18792-18799

#7195 | Received 15 February 2021 | Final received 30 March 2021 | Finally accepted 01 May 2021 2019 COMMUNICATION

Underestmated diversity of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) on karst landscapes in Sarawak, East Malaysia, Borneo

Izneil Nashriq 1 & Indraneil Das 2

1,2 Insttute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservaton, Universit Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia. 1 [email protected], 2 [email protected] (corresponding author)

Abstract: The paraphyletc group of Old World rock gecko genus Cnemaspis, currently comprises ~180 described species from Africa and Asia. The south-east Asian clade with 63 described species, is most diverse on the Thai-Malay Peninsula, with just fve species known from Borneo, an island biodiversity hotspot. Karst regions are known as centres for species endemism, and vast areas of caves and karst exist across northern Borneo. Fieldwork from 2017 to 2020 recovered additonal undescribed species of Cnemaspis from areas of karst forests in western and northern Sarawak. These discoveries emphasize the importance of preserving areas of limestone karst within rainforest areas for maintaining species diversity, as well as acceleratng research on documentng the biota.

Keywords: Biodiversity, rock gecko, systematcs.

Bahasa Malaysia: Kumpulan paraphyletc cicak batu genus Cnemaspis dari Dunia Lama, kini dianggarkan mempunyai ~180 spesis dikenal past dari Afrika dan Asia. Klad Asia tenggara dengan 63 spesis terhurai, dilihat lebih pelbagai di semenanjung Thai-Malay, dengan hanya lima spesis dikenal past dari Borneo, sebuah pulau kaya dengan kepelbagaian hidupan. Kawasan batu kapur diketahui sebagai kawasan tumpuan spesis endemik, dengan jumlah bilangan kawasan gua dan batu kapur yang besar di utara Borneo. Kerja lapangan daripada 2017 hingga 2020 telah menambahkan bilangan spesis Cnemaspis dari kawasan hutan batu kapur di barat dan utara Sarawak. Penemuan ini menekankan kepentngan memelihara kawasan batu kapur dalam hutan hujan tropika untuk menjaga kepelbagaian spesis, serta meningkatkan kajian dan dokumentasi biota.

Editor: Raju Vyas, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Date of publicaton: 26 June 2021 (online & print)

Citaton: Nashriq, I. & I. Das (2021). Underestmated diversity of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) on karst landscapes in Sarawak, East Malaysia, Borneo. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(7): 18792–18799. htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.7195.13.7.18792-18799

Copyright: © Nashriq & Das 2021. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of this artcle in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton.

Funding: This research was supported by the Niche Research Grant Scheme of the Ministry of Higher Educaton, Government of Malaysia: NRGS/1087/2013(01); additonal funding came from the Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad: IA010200-0706-0015.

Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests.

Author details: Izneil Nashriq holds an MSc in Animal Systematcs from the Insttute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservaton, Universit Malaysia Sarawak. His felds of interest include taxonomy, ecology and biogeography. Since 2016, he have been a member of the Herpetofaunal Biology Lab, assistng with project involving herpetofaunal conservaton. Indraneil Das has a DPhil in Animal Ecology from the University of Oxford, and was a Fulbright Fellow at the Museum of Comparatve Zoology, Harvard University. He is currently Professor at the Insttute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservaton, Universit Malaysia Sarawak, where he pursues his research and teaching interests in ecology, systematcs and conservaton biology.

Author contributons: ID conceived, designed and obtained funding. ID and IN collected feld data and wrote the manuscript.

Acknowledgements: We thank the Sarawak Forest Department for the issuance of collectng permits necessary for this study (147)JHS/NCCD/600-7/2/107/Jld.2 and Park Permit N0.74/2019). The staf of the Sarawak Forestry Corporaton allowed entrance to the natonal parks and other protected areas. We thank the Insttute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservaton, Universit Malaysia Sarawak, for supportng feldwork and for lab assistance. We are grateful to Hayden Davis and his team at the Bauer lab, Villanova University for feld assistance and Alan Resetar and Joshua Mata of the Field Museum Natural History, Chicago, for permission to reproduce the image of the holotype of Cnemaspis dringi. Aaron Bauer and Pui Yong Min provided comments on an earlier draf. This research was supported by the Niche Research Grant Scheme of the Ministry of Higher Educaton, Government of Malaysia: NRGS/1087/2013(01); additonal funding came from the Sarawak Oil Palm Berhad: IA010200-0706-0015.

18792 Diversity of Cnemaspis on karst landscapes in Sarawak Nashriq & Das J TT INTRODUCTION Sumatra, Borneo, and Java, in additon to numerous small and mid-sized islands of some of these landmasses. Sarawak State of East Malaysia, located on the With its distributon extending from the subtropical northwestern region of the island Borneo, can be eastern Himalaya and Indo-China, to tropical areas of divided into two mineralizaton zones, corresponding Sundaland, the highest diversity is encountered on the to geological provinces, namely, West Sarawak that Thai-Malay Peninsula (Kurita et al. 2017). Phylogenetc hosts important metalliferous mineral deposits, which analyses of south-east Asian Cnemaspis have revealed geologically forms part of the Sunda Shield; and central- two divergent lineages: the southern Vietnamese northern Sarawak, which is renowned for fossil fuels, insular endemics and a lineage containing three major such as oil, gas and coal deposits. Limestone outcrops clades referred to as the Patani, northern Sunda, and cover 520km2 (or 0.4%) of Sarawak, and are reported southern Sunda clades distributed sporadically along to be shallow marine deposits ranging from Upper the northern, western and southern edges of the Sunda Carboniferous to Miocene (Gendang et al. 2008). Older Shelf, extending from southern Vietnam, Cambodia and limestone deposits are located in western Sarawak, Thailand, southward through the Thai-Malay Peninsula, while the younger one are found in central and to Borneo (Grismer et al. 2014, 2015; Kurita et al. 2017; northern Sarawak. Karstc regions have been regarded Wood et al. 2017). The Patani clade, restricted to the as biodiversity reservoirs that can be used as stock for southernmost porton of peninsular Thailand, is sister to repopulatng degraded environments during ecosystem the northern Sunda and southern Sunda sister clades. reassembly (Schilthuizen 2004). Past research conducted The northern Sunda clade extends from Vietnam to on karst formatons and adjacent limestone forests in central Peninsular Malaysia, while the southern Sunda the Sundas have resulted in improved knowledge of clade extends from southern Peninsular Malaysia and endemic species of fora and invertebrates, as well as Singapore, eastward through the Seribuat, Anambas, beter appreciaton of their endemicity. Microendemic and Natuna archipelagos to northwestern Borneo. karst-dwelling species of squamate reptles too have The frst member of the genus Cnemaspis on Borneo been identfed and described from such landscapes was reported by Gray (1845), described as Heteronata (Ellis & Pauwels 2012; Grismer et al. 2015). kendallii, based on two specimens presented to the In Borneo, recent discoveries of lizard species Britsh Museum of Natural History by Captain Edward have been made, especially in areas with forest cover, Belcher, with locality given simply as “Borneo”. including species of Cnemaspis (Grismer & Chan 2009; Smith (1925) described the second Bornean species, Kurita et al. 2017), Cyrtodactylus (Hayden et al. 2019), Gonatodes nigridius, from “Mt. Gading” (= Gunung and Lygosoma (Karin et al. 2018), highlightng the Gading). Dring (1979) subsequently discovered that underestmated nature of the diversity. At the same tme, one of Gray’s syntypes was a juvenile Cnemaspis nigridia the landscape of Borneo is experiencing rapid change (Smith, 1925), and designated the other as the lectotype through deforestaton from actvites such as large- to of Cnemaspis kendallii. Das & Bauer (1998) described small-scale agriculture and colonizaton, unsustainable Cnemaspis dringi from Labang Camp, Bintulu, Sarawak logging, fres, mining and constructon of infrastructure and Grismer & Chan (2009) recorded the frst karst- (Bennet 2017), resultng in the degradaton of the endemic species on Borneo, Cnemaspis paripari from ecosystem. Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 is a lizard genus Gua Pari Pari (Fairy Cave) and Gua Angin (Wind Cave), in allocated to the family Gekkonidae, comprising ~180 the Bau region of Sarawak. The most recent discovery described species from tropical Africa and Asia (Uetz was by Kurita et al. (2017), who described Cnemaspis et al. 2021), making it one of the most speciose Old leucura from Gunung Penrissen, Sarawak. These fve World gekkonid genera. As currently consttuted, the species currently represent the known diversity of the genus has been shown to be polyphyletc (Gamble et al. genus on Borneo. Bornean Cnemaspis are represented 2012; Grismer et al. 2014). Members of the genus in by two major lineages (the nigridia group and the Asia occupy habitats ranging from lowland dipterocarp kendallii group); however, Kurita et al. (2017) recovered forests to primary and old-growth forests, ofen within a basal polytomy of Cnemaspis dringi, the nigridia group, karst, granite or sandstone landscapes (Das & Bauer and the kendallii group, suggestng multple origins of 1998; Iskandar et al. 2017). the Bornean Cnemaspis. The south-east Asian Cnemaspis group has been During recent feldwork, we discovered additonal reported from areas of Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, populatons of Cnemaspis in areas of limestone Cambodia, Laos, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, formatons which, on the basis of morphological

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18792–18799 18793 J TT Diversity of Cnemaspis on karst landscapes in Sarawak Nashriq & Das characters and phylogenetc divergence, we regard as micro-habitat features were identfed. Specimens new species. We here describe the distributon and were photographed using a Nikon D600 DSLR camera habitats of these geckos. and 105mm Micro-Nikkor f/2.8 D lens, illuminated by a speedlight fash unit (SB800), using a Lastolyte sofbox. Temperature and humidity of the study sites MATERIALS AND METHOD were recorded using CENTER 315 humidity temperature meter. Specimens were collected manually, euthanized Inventories were conducted between 2017 and 2020, with the use of sodium pentobarbital, fxed in 10% and collectons were made during both day and night at bufered formalin prior to storage in 70% ethanol in the a number of localites in Sarawak. A hand-held Global collecton of the museum of the Insttute of Biodiversity Positoning System Garmin, GPSMap 76CS receiver and Environmental Conservaton, Universit Malaysia (datum WGS 84) was used for georeferencing. We used Sarawak (UNIMAS). Tissue samples were taken and Google Maps and Google Earth Pro to identfy areas for preserved in 95% ethanol for DNA analysis. sampling, prioritzing the presence of intact vegetaton with a greater possibility of the occurrence of members Study sites of the genus. Sites inspected included natonal parks, We obtained research permit for collecton and nature reserves and other areas within karst formatons, permission to enter natonal parks and conduct studies as well as non-karst areas. The visual encounter survey from the Sarawak Forest Department for multple method was used to locate individuals, and macro- and localites. Habitat associatons of members of the

Image 1. Forest cover and records of Cnemaspis species in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Insert: Map of Borneo and adjacent regions in south-east Asia showing the enlarged area below. Vector tle of Sarawak Forest Cover 2019 by Sarvision. Updated as of October 2020. Developed for Heart of Borneo (HoB) initatve by WWF-Netherlands, WWF-Indonesia and WWF-Malaysia.

18794 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18792–18799 Diversity of Cnemaspis on karst landscapes in Sarawak Nashriq & Das J TT lineage and habitat assessments were conducted by day, reaches a height of approximately 1,700m. Specimens while collectons of specimens were conducted between were found at ground level, on stalacttes and on walls 2000–2300 h. A total of 27 areas were surveyed during of the cave entrance. the present study (Table 1), including primary and Substrate identfed associated with Cnemaspis can secondary forests. Sites included the Kayan Plateau be classifed into granite, limestone, sandstone and sandstone of Bako Natonal Park; Kayan sandstone of vegetaton. Cnemaspis kendallii is here considered the Gunung Gading Natonal Park, the Serapi Range, Kubah most generalized species, being observed on multple Natonal Park, Santubong Natonal Park, and on the substrates, and showing overlapping distributon (= Pedawan Formaton of Gunung Penrissen. The Bau syntopic) with C. nigridia, C. paripari, and C. leucura. Limestone which includes karst towers and formatons, C. kendallii may persist in disturbed areas such as the such as Fairy Cave and Wind Cave Nature Reserve, and detached forest patch of Sama Jaya Nature Reserve, Dered Krian Natonal Park; Kedadom and Pedawan which serves as a rainforest park in an urban setng. limestone formatons in Siburan and Serian District, Covering 38ha, the populaton is disconnected from the consistng of multple karst hills and caves, such as Gua major forest region. Another example of persistency is Raya, Gua Rabus, Gua Silabur, Gua Simadang and Gua observed in the populaton of C. paripari from the Fairy Sireh; the Belaga Formaton of central Sarawak, Pelagus Cave Nature Reserve which occurs as an isolated karst Natonal Park; the Nyalau/Sibut Formaton of Niah hill measuring about 4ha, detached from the major Bau Natonal Park; and also the Melinau Limestone and Mulu Limestone formaton by 800 m of lowland. Members Formaton of the Gunung Mulu Natonal Park, northern of the genus are ofen found syntopic with other gecko Sarawak. species, especially Bent toed geckos, Cyrtodactylus. Limestone hills are characteristcally steep-sided, Rock crevices act as shelters into which geckos with subvertcal to overhanging clifs. The base of typically retreat when threatened. Furthermore, limestone hills exhibit deep horizontal notches or crevices also serve as a nursery for eggs. Egg-clutches undercuts due to dissoluton by streams, groundwater were observed in pairs, embedded within depressions or swamp water, and the collapse of the limestone of mineral formatons in such moisture-laden clifs contributng to the reducton in size of limestone microhabitats. For the frst two species, communal hills. Mazed with numerous caverns and cave systems, nestng, as evidenced from multple egg-scars on rocks, limestone hills range in height and size, and provide was notced. Habitat descriptons of Bornean Cnemaspis multple microclimates. are summarised in Table 2.

RESULTS DISCUSSION

In western Sarawak, habitats occupied by Cnemaspis The discovery of undescribed Cnemaspis reveals are present both within the protected areas network the poorly-known nature of the herpetofauna of (such as natonal parks) and in unprotected ones. Borneo. Based on surveys and satellite imagery, sites Additonal populatons were recorded within the of occurrence tend to be isolated and restricted to Siburan and Serian districts. The deposits of Kedadom mineral formatons and intact secondary to primary and Pedawan formatons are of Late Jurassic ­­­­– Late forests. Although environmental conversion can occur Cretaceous age. The karst towers of these regions reach naturally, human actvites have intensifed the decline elevaton of approximately 700m, and are dominated by of many habitats. Major conservaton concerns that mesophytc fora. Streams, ofen originate from these can be identfed from this study are major and minor formatons. Some of the karstc areas are bounded agricultural practces, mining of limestone for industry by human actvites such as orchards and plantatons, and deforestaton. These factors seriously infuence the limestone mining and land development. Individuals quality and extant of Cnemaspis habitats in Sarawak. were found usually on ground level spatally constrained Populatons of Cnemaspis geckos are fragmented to an area with multple degree of surfaces. In northern by human interventon. The hills of the Bau Limestone Sarawak, the habitat of Cnemaspis is located within the stretching to the Pedawan formaton and along with Melinau Limestone formaton, within the protected Kedadom and Sadong formatons comprise karst boundaries of Gunung Mulu Natonal Park. Deposited outcrops of which some parts are mined for industrial in the Eocene to the Miocene, this geological formaton uses such as cement producton. Shifing agriculture and

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Table 1. Study sites in Sarawak State, East Malaysia (Borneo), with reference to geological formatons and general habitat descriptons. Asterix indicates locality where species of Cnemaspis have been recorded.

Localites, Division Coordinates Geological Formaton and General Habitat Type 1.7179°N, Plateau Sandstone Formaton ~ 200m. 1* Bako Natonal Park, Kuching 110.446°E Coastal forest, swamp forest, mixed dipterocarp forest 1.252°N, Kayan Sandstone Formaton ~ 900m. 2* Bengoh Range, Bau 110.102°E Mixed dipterocarp forest, with agriculture and human setlements on foothills Borneo Highlands at Gunung 1.135°N, Kayan Sandstone Formaton ~ 1,000m. 3* Penrissen, Padawan 110.221°E Mixed dipterocarp forest, submontane forest Bau Limestone Formaton ~ 400m. 1.3802°N, 4* Dered Krian Natonal Park, Bau Karst formaton, dominated by herbaceous plants and mid-sized trees; conversion 110.163°E to commercial plantaton on foothills 1.416°N, Bau Limestone Formaton ~ 50m. 5* Gua Angin, Bau 110.133°E Cave systems, dominated by herbaceous plants and mid-sized trees 1.381°N, Bau Limestone Formaton ~ 250m. 6* Gua Pari Pari, Bau 110.117°E Cave systems, dominated by herbaceous plants and mid-sized trees Pedawan Formaton ~ 500m. 1.207°N, 7* Gua Rabus, Temurang, Padawan Cave system dominated by herbaceous plants and mid-sized tree; natural 110.273°E vegetaton hemmed by hortculture Sadong Formaton ~ 600m. 1.285°N, 8 Gua Raya, Kampung Chupak, Serian Abandoned bird-nest harvestng operatons in cave system, broken plank walks, 110.429°E dominated by herbaceous plants and mid-sized trees Sadong Formaton ~ 50m. Gua Silabur, Lobang Batu, Tebakang, 0.969°N, 9* Cave system dominated by herbaceous plants to mid-sized trees and bounded by Serian 110.516°E local hortculture. Pedawan Formaton ~ 500m. 1.207°N, 10* Gua Simadang, Temurang, Padawan Cave system dominated by herbaceous plants to mid-sized trees and bounded by 110.274°E local hortculture. Sadong Formaton ~ 350m. 1.180°N, 11* Gua Sireh, Kampung Bantang, Serian Archaeological site. Cave system dominated by herbaceous plants and mid-sized 110.463°E trees, hemmed in by hortculture 1.691°N, Gading Formaton ~ 850m. 12* Gunung Gading Natonal Park, Lundu 109.845°E Mixed dipterocarp forest, with granite boulders and scree at foothills Bau Limestone Formaton ~ 100m. 1.355°N, 13* Kampung Mambong, Siburan Weathered limestone hills, dominated by herbaceous plants and mid-sized trees, 110.351°E hemmed in by hortculture Bau Limestone Formaton ~ 400m. 1.358°N, 14* Kampung Puak, Bau South of Dered Krian and Fairy Cave, its sharp limestone ridges dominated by 110.141°E herbaceous vegetaton and mid-sized trees; small stream present 1.396°N, Bau Limestone Formaton ~ 250m. 15* Kampung Skio, Bau 110.176°E Outcrops connected to Dered Krian formaton; cave opening with small stream 1.612°N, Kayan Sandstone Formaton ~ 850m. 16* Kubah Natonal Park, Kuching 110.196°E Mixed dipterocarp forest; forest stream originate from upper elevaton 4.198°N, Lambir Formaton ~ 450m. 17* Lambir Hills Natonal Park, Miri 114.042°E Mixed dipterocarp forest, with steep slope Limestone Hills of Jambusan- 1.319°N, Pedawan Formaton ~ 300m. 18* Samadang, Siburan 110.255°E Karst formaton, bounded by river and oil palm plantaton 1.130°N, Kedadom Formaton ~ 300m. 19* Limestone hills, Serian-Tebedu, Serian 110.444°E Karst formaton, dominated by herbaceous vegetaton; presence of small stream Melinau Limestone Formaton ~ 1,750 m; Mulu Formaton ~2,376m. 4.041°N, Massive karst formaton, submetamorphic slates and hard sandstones, mixed 20* Gunung Mulu Natonal Park, Miri 114.812°E dipterocarp forests at points of sampling; other vegetaton types at higher elevatons or other sites within the Natonal Park 2.169°N, Pelagus Formaton 21 Nanga Pelagus, Belaga 113.056°E Low sandstone hills; small forest streams 3.824°N, Subis Limestone ~ 350m. 22 Niah Natonal Park, Miri 113.761°E Karst formaton within lowland mixed dipeterocarp forest 2.188°N, Pelagus Formaton 23 Pelagus Natonal Park, Belaga 113.056°E Mixed dipterocarp forest at edge of Rajang River 1.143°N, Sadong Formaton ~ 800m. 24* Ranchan Pool Forest, Serian 110.584°E Sandstone hill with forest stream, frequented as recreatonal area Alluvium fat ~ 0m. 1.522°N, 25* Sama Jaya Nature Reserve, Kuching Forest reserve within city of Kuching, comprising Kerangas (Bornean heath) forests 110.387°E with blackwaters and mixed dipterocarp forest Gunung Santubong Natonal Park, 1.743°N, Kayan Sandstone Formaton ~ 800m. 26* Kuching 110.317°E Mixed dipterocarp forest, with streams and waterfalls 4.055°N, High Value Conservaton forest ~ 0m. 27 Tinbarap Oil Palm Plantaton, Miri 114.238°E Conserved forest patch; blackwater swamp forest

18796 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18792–18799 Diversity of Cnemaspis on karst landscapes in Sarawak Nashriq & Das J TT Table 2. Summary of Cnemaspis habitat use and actvity on Borneo.

Preferred substrate Species Actve period Granite Limestone Sandstone Vegetaton

kendallii Diurnal + + + +

nigridia Nocturnal + - - -

dringi NA NA NA NA +

paripari Nocturnal - + - -

leucura Nocturnal - - - -

Species 1 Nocturnal - + - -

Species 2 Nocturnal - + - -

Species 3 Nocturnal - + - -

Image 2. Karsts habitat for Cnemaspis in Sarawak: Top and botom lef—limestone hills in Serian District | Top right—egg scars within crevices of limestone formaton | Botom right—Cnemaspis gecko on limestone substrate. © Izneil Nashriq

mining actvites are both widespread and sometmes CONCLUSION intense in Sarawak, which, if not mitgated or done sustainably, not only afect these geckos, but in a wider The accreton of species of Cnemaspis on Borneo context, result in loss of biological diversity as a whole. has been somewhat sluggish, startng with C. kendallii in 1845, C. nigridia in 1925, C. dringi in 1998, C. paripari in 2009, and most recently, C. leucura in 2017. The efort of locatng specimens may be thwarted by their occupancy of relatvely inaccessible areas and microhabitats,

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18792–18799 18797 J TT Diversity of Cnemaspis on karst landscapes in Sarawak Nashriq & Das

Image 3. Bornean species of rock geckos. A—Cnemaspis kendallii | B—Cnemaspis nigridia | C—Cnemaspis dringi | D—Cnemaspis paripari | E—Cnemaspis leucura | F—Cnemaspis Sp. 1 | G—Cnemaspis Sp. 2 | H—Cnemaspis Sp. 3. © A, B, D, F, H—Indraneil Das; C—Joshua Mata; E—Pui Yong Min; G—Hayden Davis

18798 Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18792–18799 Diversity of Cnemaspis on karst landscapes in Sarawak Nashriq & Das J TT besides the ecologically cryptc nature of these species. Gamble, T., E. Greenbaum, T.R. Jackman, A.P. Russel & A.M. Bauer In additon to the described species, four from western (2012). Repeated origin and loss of adhesive toepads in geckos. PLoS One 7(6): 1–10. Sarawak, and one in central Sarawak, morphological and Gendang, R.A., A.S. Hasyim & D. Johari (2008). Geochemistry of genetcal data reveal the existence of three additonal the limestone resources in Sarawak. Minerals and Geoscience Department, Malaysia, 133–140pp. species from western and northern Sarawak. Mineral Gray, J. E. (1845). Catalogue of the Specimens of Lizards in the Britsh formatons of Sarawak are home to a disproportonate Museum. Britsh Museum (Natural History), London, xxviii+289pp. number of Cnemaspis, all except one showing rupicolous Grismer, L.L. & K.O. Chan (2009). A new species of karst dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Sarawak, adaptatons. Only C. kendallii inhabits forested areas, Borneo. Zootaxa 2246: 21–31. and is sylvicolous. On the other hand, C. nigridia is Grismer, L.L., P.L.J. Wood, S. Anuar, A. Riyanto, N. Ahmad, M.A. restricted to granite formatons; C. paripari endemic to Muin, M. Sumontha, J.L. Grismer, K.O. Chan, E.S.H. Quah & O.S.G. Pauwels (2014). Systematcs and natural history of Southeast Asian limestone formatons; and C. leucura from sandstone rock geckos (genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887) with descripton of formatons. All three undescribed species reported in eight new species from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Zootaxa this study inhabit separate limestone formatons. This 3880: 1–147. Grismer, L.L., P.J.L. Wood, E.S.H. Quah, S. Anuar, E. Ngadi & N. Ahmad brings the number of species to a total of eight occurring (2015). A new insular species of Rock Gecko (Cnemaspis Boulenger) on the island of Borneo, an increase of 60% of the fauna. from Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. Zootaxa 3985(2): The study was focused largely in western Sarawak. 203–218. Iskandar, D.T., J.A. McGuire & T. Amarasinghe (2017). Descripton The formatons in western Sarawak are relatvely more of fve new day geckos of Cnemaspis kandiana group (Sauria: accessible compared to those of central and northern Gekkonidae) from Sumatera and Mentawai Archipelago, Indonesia. Journal of Herpetology 51(1): 142–153. Sarawak. Future eforts should be directed in fnding Karin, B.R., E.S. Freitas, S. Shonleben, L.L. Grismer, A.M. Bauer & I. Das species of Cnemaspis in these later areas, especially (2018). Unrealized diversity in an urban rainforest: A new species of along regions of limestone karst. Lygosoma (Squamata: Scincidae) from western Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo). Zootaxa 4370: 345–362. htps://doi.org/10.11646/ zootaxa.4370.4.2 Kurita, T., K. Nishikawa, M. Matsui & T. Hikida (2017). A new species REFERENCES of rock gecko genus Cnemaspis (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from western Sarawak. Zootaxa 4256(6): 525–538. Schilthuizen, M. (2004). Land snail conservaton in Borneo: limestone Bennet, L. (2017). Deforestaton and Climate Change. The Climate outcrops act as arks. Journal of Conchology 3:149–155. Insttute, Washington, D.C., 16pp. Smith, M.A. (1925). Contributons to the herpetology of Borneo. Das, I. & M.A. Bauer (1998). Systematcs and biogeography of Bornean Sarawak Museum Journal 3: 15–34. geckos of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae), Uetz, P., P. Freed & J. Hošek (eds.) (2021). The Reptle Database, with the descripton of a new species. The Rafes Bulletn of Zoology htp://www.reptle-database.org, accessed 10 February 2021. 46(1): 11–28. Wood, J.P.L., L.L. Grismer, A. Aowphol, C.A. Anguilar, M. Cota, Dring, J.C.M. (1979). Amphibians and reptles from northern M.S. Grismer, M.L. Murdoch & J.J.W. Sites (2017). Three new Terengganu, Malaysia, with descriptons of two new geckos: karst-dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) Cnemaspis and Cyrtodactylus. Bulletn of the Britsh Museum of from Peninsular Thailand and the phylogenetc placement of C. Natural History (Zoology) 34: 181–241. punctatonuchalis and C. vandeventeri. PeerJ 5: e5884. htps://doi. Ellis, M. & O.S.G. Pauwels (2012). The bent-toed geckos (Cyrtodactylus) org/10.7717/peerj.2884 of the caves and karst of Thailand. Cave and Karst Science 39: 16–22.

Threatened Taxa

Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2021 | 13(7): 18792–18799 18799 The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by OPEN ACCESS publishing peer-reviewed artcles online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton.

ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)

June 2021 | Vol. 13 | No. 7 | Pages: 18679–18958 Date of Publicaton: 26 June 2021 (Online & Print) www.threatenedtaxa.org DOI: 10.11609/jot.2021.13.7.18679-18958

Communicatons Short Communicatons

Persistence of Trachypithecus geei (Mammalia: Primates: Cercopithecidae) in a rubber plantaton First photographic evidence and distributon of the Indian Pangolin Manis crassicaudata in Assam, India (Mammalia: Pholidota: Manidae) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India – Joydeep Shil, Jihosuo Biswas, Sudipta Nag & Honnavalli N. Kumara, Pp. 18679–18686 – Hemant Singh, Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj, N. Gokulakannan, Saket Agast & K. Aditya, Pp. 18888– 18893 Populaton assessment of the endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock hoolock Harlan, 1834 at Sheikh Jamal Inani Natonal Park, Bangladesh, and conservaton signifcance of this site for Populaton and conservaton threats to the Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus roseus (Aves: threatened wildlife species Phoenicopteriformes: Phoenicopteridae) at Basai Wetland and Najafgarh Jheel Bird Sanctuary, – M. Tarik Kabir, M. Farid Ahsan, Susan M. Cheyne, Shahrul Anuar Mohd Sah, Susan Lappan, Haryana, India Thad Q. Bartlet & Nadine Ruppert, Pp. 18687–18694 – Amit Kumar & Sarita Rana, Pp. 18894–18898

Assessment of changes over a decade in the paterns of livestock depredaton by the Himalayan First report on the occurrence of Sargassum Weed Fish Histrio histrio (Lophiliformes: Brown Bear in Ladakh, India Antennariidae) in Nigeria deep water, Gulf of Guinea – Aishwarya Maheshwari, A. Arun Kumar & Sambandam Sathyakumar, Pp. 18695–18702 – Abdul-Rahman Dirisu, Hanson S. Uyi & Meshack Uyi, Pp. 18899–18902

Habitat selecton of Himalayan Musk Deer Moschus leucogaster (Mammalia: Artodactyla: A new distributon record of stomatopods Odontodactylus japonicus (De Haan, 1844) and Moschidae) with respect to biophysical atributes in Annapurna Conservaton Area of Nepal Lysiosquilla tredecimdentata (Holthuis, 1941) from the Puducherry coastal waters, east coast of – Bijaya Neupane, Nar Bahadur Chhetri & Bijaya Dhami, Pp. 18703–18712 India – S. Nithya Mary, V. Ravitchandirane & B. Gunalan, Pp. 18903–18907 Sero-diagnosis of tuberculosis in elephants in Maharashtra, India – Utkarsh Rajhans, Gayatri Wankhede, Balaji Ambore , Sandeep Chaudhari, Navnath Nighot, Vithal New records of Agriocnemis keralensis Peters, 1981 and Gynacantha khasiaca MacLachlan, 1896 Dhaygude & Chhaya Sonekar, Pp. 18713–18718 (Insecta: Odonata) from Maharashtra, India – Yogesh Koli, Akshay Dalvi & Dataprasad Sawant, Pp. 18908–18919 Avian species richness in traditonal rice ecosystems: a case study from upper Myanmar – Steven G. Plat, Myo Min Win, Naing Lin, Swann Htet Naing Aung, Ashish John & Thomas R. A new distributon record of the Horn Coral Caryophyllia grandis Gardiner & Waugh, 1938 Rainwater, Pp. 18719–18737 (Anthozoa: Scleractnia) from the Karnataka Coast, India – J.S. Yogesh Kumar & C. Raghunathan, Pp. 18920–18924 Conservaton status, feeding guilds, and diversity of birds in Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Karnataka, India Re-collecton, extended distributon, and amplifed descripton of Vaccinium paucicrenatum – M.N. Harisha, K.S. Abdul Samad & B.B. Hoset, Pp. 18738–18751 Sleumer (Ericaceae) from the Arunachal Himalaya in India – Subhasis Panda, Pp. 18925–18932 Birds of Surat-Dangs: a consolidated checklist of 75 years (1944–2020) with special emphasis on noteworthy bird records and bird hotspots from northern Western Ghats of Gujarat, India – Nikunj Jambu & Kaushal G. Patel, Pp. 18752–18780 Notes

Identfcaton of a unique barb from the dorsal body contour feathers of the Indian Pita Pita Photographic record of the Rusty-spoted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geofroy Saint-Hilaire, brachyura (Aves: Passeriformes: Pitdae) 1831) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in southern Western Ghats, India – Prateek Dey, Swapna Devi Ray, Sanjeev Kumar Sharma , Padmanabhan Pramod & Ram Pratap – Devika Sanghamithra & P.O. Nameer, Pp. 18933–18935 Singh, Pp. 18781–18791 Natural history notes on the highly threatened Pinto’s Chachalaca Ortalis remota (Aves: Cracidae) Underestmated diversity of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) on karst landscapes in – Carlos Otávio Araujo Gussoni & Marco Aurélio Galvão da Silva, Pp. 18936–18938 Sarawak, East Malaysia, Borneo – Izneil Nashriq & Indraneil Das, Pp. 18792–18799 Black-bellied Coral Snake Sinomicrurus nigriventer (Wall, 1908) (Elapidae): an extended distributon in the western Himalaya, India Aborichthys barapensis, a new species of river loach (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) from – Sipu Kumar, Jignasu Dolia, Vartka Chaudhary, Amit Kumar & Abhijit Das, Pp. 18939–18942 Arunachal Pradesh, the eastern Himalaya, India – P. Nanda & L. Tamang, Pp. 18800–18808 First record of the Afghan Poplar Hawkmoth Laothoe wit Eitschberger et al., 1998 (Sphingidae: Smerinthinae) from India: a notable range extension for the genus A study on the community structure of damselfies (Insecta: Odonata: Zygoptera) in Paschim – Muzafar Riyaz, Pratheesh Mathew, Taslima Shiekh, S. Ignacimuthu & K. Sivasankaran, Pp. 18943– Medinipur, West Bengal, India 18946 – Pathik Kumar Jana, Priyanka Halder Mallick & Tanmay Bhatacharya, Pp. 18809–18816 The tribe Cnodalonini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Stenochiinae) from Maharashtra with two new New distributon and range extension records of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) records from two western Himalayan protected areas – V.D. Hegde & D. Vasanthakumar, Pp. 18947–18948 – Pritha Dey & Axel Hausmann, Pp. 18817–18826 Do predatory adult odonates estmate their adult prey odonates’ body size and dispersal ability to Buterfy diversity of Putalibazar Municipality, Syangja District, Gandaki Province, Nepal proceed with a successful atack? – Kismat Neupane & Mahamad Sayab Miya, Pp. 18827–18845 – Tharaka Sudesh Priyadarshana, Pp. 18949–18952

New records and distributon extension of Nassarius persicus (Martens, 1874) and N. tadjallii Rediscovery of Ophiorrhiza incarnata C.E.C. Fisch. (Rubiaceae) from the Western Ghats of Moolenbeek, 2007 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Nassariidae) to India India afer a lapse of 83 years – Sayali Nerurkar & Deepak Apte, Pp. 18846–18852 – Perumal Murugan, Vellingiri Ravichandran & Chidambaram Murugan, Pp. 18953–18955

Flowering plants of Agumbe region, central Western Ghats, Karnataka, India Response – G.S. Adithya Rao & Y.L. Krishnamurthy, Pp. 18853–18867 Comments on the “A checklist of mammals with historical records from Darjeeling-Sikkim Populaton assessment and habitat distributon modelling of the threatened medicinal plant Himalaya landscape, India” Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. in the Kumaun Himalaya, India – P.O. Nameer, Pp. 18956–18958 – Naveen Chandra, Gajendra Singh, Shashank Lingwal, M.P.S. Bisht & Lalit Mohan Tewari, Publisher & Host Pp. 18868–18877

Occurrence of gilled fungi in Puducherry, India – Vadivelu Kumaresan, Chakravarthy Sariha, Thokur Sreepathy Murali & Gunasekaran Senthilarasu, Pp. 18878–18887

Threatened Taxa