Diagnostic Characteristics:
SVL (Snout-Vent Length): 68.3 – 95.0 mm. Limbs and digits long and slender. Tail relatively long (TL/SVL = 1.24). Body coloration is yellowish-brown with pale yellow dorsal markings: 1 nuchal band, 3-4 bands between the forelimbs and hindlimbs, and a band at the base of the tail. One pair of enlarged postmental scales in contact. 16 – 19 scales between the orbits. 24 – 27 scales between the eye and the nostril. 33 – 38 ventral scales between the lateral folds. 18 – 22 rows of weakly keeled, irregular tubercles along the mid-dorsum. 31 – 33 dorsal tubercles along the vertebral column between the forelimbs and hindlimbs. Males lack precloacal pores and grooves. 19 – 22 precloacal scales, not greatly enlarged. 0 – 3 femoral scales enlarged. 20 – 24 subdigital lamellae under the first toe of the hind foot. 16 – 19 subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe of the hind foot. Subcaudal scales transversely enlarged.
Biology and Ecology:
This nocturnal reptile is commonly found in weathered volcanic cave environments and only emerges at night. Its diet consists of insects found in the same habitat. It lays 2 eggs at the beginning of the rainy season each year on rock faces. The species name honors Professor L. Lee Grismer, Department of Biology, La Sierra University, California, USA.
Distribution:
Endemic to Vietnam, recently discovered in the Tức Dụp Mountain area of An Giang Province. This location is also the distribution of newly discovered species such as the Vietnamese Gecko (Gekko vietnamensis) and the Tức Dụp round-eyed gecko (Cnemaspis tucdupensis).