Discoveries
Cnemaspis minang
Minang, Sumatra, Indonesia
12. Cnemaspis minang
Iskandar, McGuire & Amarasinghe, 2017
Publication :
Iskandar DT, JA McGuire & AAT Amarasinghe (2017). Description of Five New Day Geckos of Cnemaspis kandiana Group (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Sumatra and Mentawai Archipelago, Indonesia. Journal of Herpetology 51 (1): 142–153.
Remarks :
We discovered Cnemaspis minang from a single site in West Sumatra, and this species occurs in primary rain forests, where it has been found in crevices on tree trunks along the banks of the Tarusan River.
Etymology:
The specific epithet refers to the area that Minangkabau people inhabit (the highlands of West Sumatra) and is formed here as an invariable noun in apposition. Minang is an abbreviation commonly used for this indigenous group as well. The name ‘‘Minangkabau’’ is derived from ‘‘Minang’’ (victorious) and ‘‘kabau’’ (buffalo) in reference to the legend that the people shrewdly won the rights to their land from a powerful neighboring prince by way of a buffalo fight. Traditional houses in the Minagkabau region have their roofs in the shape of buffalo horns.
English name: Minang Day Gecko
Etymology:
The specific epithet refers to the area that Minangkabau people inhabit (the highlands of West Sumatra) and is formed here as an invariable noun in apposition. Minang is an abbreviation commonly used for this indigenous group as well. The name ‘‘Minangkabau’’ is derived from ‘‘Minang’’ (victorious) and ‘‘kabau’’ (buffalo) in reference to the legend that the people shrewdly won the rights to their land from a powerful neighboring prince by way of a buffalo fight. Traditional houses in the Minagkabau region have their roofs in the shape of buffalo horns.
English name: Minang Day Gecko