Observations on the ecology of the arrhythmic equatorial gecko Cnemaspis kendallii in Singapore (Sauria: Gekkoninae)

Abstract

Brief observations on the little-known 'rock-gecko' Cnemaspis kendallii in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore, in November-December 1999, augmented by examination of museum specimens, have increased the knowledge of its behaviour, biology and ecological morphology. It inhabits both tree trunks of assorted types up to 2.5 m and granite rocks. It is active abroad both day and night, with a foraging mode that is an extreme sit-and-wait strategy (moving 0.28% of the time). Its small eye, with spectacle diameter of 5.25 percent of head and body length, is typical of diurnal scansorial geckos. The circular pupil of the eye differs from that of other diurnal geckos. The tail (when complete), 125.5 percent of head and body length, is unexpectedly long for an extreme sit-and-wait gecko. Clutches of two hard-shelled eggs are laid, the eggs, approx. 9.25 mm in diameter, stick to each other and to the substrate. The oviposition season extends at least over September-December, and possibly over the whole year.