Muria Rock Gecko

Open encyclopedia reference

Cnemaspis muria, the Muria rock gecko (Indonesian: Cicak Batu Gunung Muria), is a species of diurnal, rock-dwelling, insectivorous gecko endemic to Indonesia. It is distributed throughout Java. It was first identified by Riyanto et al (2019) on the southern slopes of Gunung Muria, a dormant volcano in central Java. To date, this is the only known location for the genus Cnemaspis on the island of Java. This discovery is geographically significant as the closest other species of Cnemaspis (C. rajabasa) was found in Lampung, roughly 580 km away. The holotype was caught at night and subsequent species were only found on large rocky microhabitats alongside rivers and coffee plantations. As it is an insectivore, it is believed to eat pests found on coffee plants; there are concerns about the use of insecticides jeopardizing the geckos as natural pest control agents. In the initial reporting, only a single female was identified; however the species appears to be sexually dimorphic in regards to the ventral color pattern.

Wikipedia contributors, Cnemaspis muria; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T08:07:46.463383+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Cnemaspis muria Riyanto, Munir, Martamenggala, Fitriana & Hamidy, 2019

Name authority

Riyanto, Munir, Martamenggala, Fitriana & Hamidy, 2019

Common name

Muria Rock Gecko

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Gekkonidae

Genus

Cnemaspis

Extinction status

Not supplied by this source

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
10. suborderGekkota
11. familyGekkonidae
12. genusCnemaspis
13. speciesCnemaspis muria Riyanto, Munir, Martamenggala, Fitriana & Hamidy, 2019

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Cnemaspis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 1,242 records assigned to Gekkonidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. RIYANTO, AWAL; MISBAHUL MUNIR, ANDRI I. S. MARTAMENGGALA, YULI SULISTYA FITRIANA, AMIR HAMIDY. (2019). Hiding in plain sight on Gunung Muria: A new species and first record of rock gecko (Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887; Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Java, Indonesia. Zootaxa 4608 (1): 155–173. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:8GPH4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.