''Cnemaspis butewai'', or Butewes' day gecko, is a species of diurnal

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

endemic to island of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Etymology

The specific name ''butewai'' is named in honor of the Sri Lankan warrior Butewe Rate Rala, a national hero who fought in the

Great Rebellion of 1817–1818 Great Rebellion of 1817–1818 ( si, ඌව වෙල්ලස්ස මහා කැරැල්ල), also known as the 1818 Uva–Wellassa Rebellion (after the two places it had started), was the third Kandyan War in the Uva and Wellassa prov ...

in Uva-Wellassa against British rule. It was the third Kandyan War led by

Keppetipola Disawe Rajapaksa Wickramasekera Mudiyanselage Bandaranayake Monarawila Keppetipola ( Sinhala:රාජපක්ෂ වික්‍රමසේකර මුදියන්සේලාගේ බණ්ඩාරනායක මොනරවිල කැප් ...

Taxonomy

The species is closely related to ''C. pulchra''.

Ecology

The species was discovered in an area lying between 380–850 meters of elevation in the Bambarabotuwa Forest Reserve. Individuals are restricted to rock outcrops and granite caves in forested areas. It is sympatric with many geckoes such as ''

Cyrtodactylus ''Cyrtodactylus'' (Greek κυρτος ''kurtos'' "curved", from κυπτω ''kuptō'' "to stoop"; δακτυλος ''daktulos'' "finger, toe") is a diverse genus of Asian geckos, commonly known as bent-toed geckos, bow-fingered geckos, and fores ...

'' sp., ''

Gehyra mutilata ''Gehyra mutilata'', also known commonly as the common four-clawed gecko, Pacific gecko, stump-toed gecko, sugar gecko in Indonesia, tender-skinned house gecko, and ''butiki'' in Filipino, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. Th ...

'', ''

Hemidactylus depressus ''Hemidactylus depressus'', also known as Sri Lanka leaf-nosed gecko or Kandyan gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka. Description Head large with large granules, especially on snout. Mid-ventrals 36–40. Digits webbed at b ...

'', ''H. frenatus'' and ''H. parvimaculatus''. The species is critically endangered due to low numbers and density only recorded at six locations.

Description

An adult male is 31.7 mm long. Dorsum homogeneous with smooth granular scales. Chin and gular scales are keeled whereas pectoral and abdominal scales are smooth. There are 23-25 belly scales across mid body. Tubercles on posterior flank are weakly developed. Para vertebral granules linearly arranged. Body short and slender. Head large and depressed. Snout relatively long. Pupil round. Head, body, and limbs are light brown to golden yellow dorsally. There are five to six W-shaped, dark cross bands on trunk. There is an oblique black line between eye and nostrils. A dark line present on occipital area. Tail grey-white with 10-12 faded brown cross-bands.

Media controversy

Sri Lankan media and politicians criticized the vernacular usage of a hero's name for a gecko. The argument was largely due to ignorance of binomial nomenclature in zoological taxonomy. They indicated that the usage of heroes' names gives by equating the national heroes to geckos. Researchers responded that the name is given only to honor the personality.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q85753064 Reptiles of Sri Lanka butewai Reptiles described in 2019