Abstract
We describe a cryptic new species of gecko of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala. This medium-sized Cnemaspis species is differentiated from all other Indian congeners by a suite of the following distinct morphological characters: heterogeneous mid-dorsal scales, 6–7 supralabials; 113–120 paravertebral rows of tubercles; 71–85 mid-dorsal scales; absence of spine-like tubercles on flanks; subimbricate, smooth ventral scales; 135–140 mid-ventral scales; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of manus 23–25; subdigital lamellae under fourth digit of pes 24–25; males with 7–8 precloacal pores; median row of subcaudals enlarged, smooth, a series of two large scales alternating, containing one divided scale; head and neck colouration brownish-yellow, consistent in adult males; adult females with orange coloured head and neck. Recent new descriptions of Cnemaspis species together with the present discovery show that the southern Western Ghats species have been overlooked by previous studies. Therefore we suggest further studies to evaluate the diversity of Cnemaspis in this region.
References
Abraham, R.K., Mathew, J.K., Cyriac, V.P., Zachariah, A., Raju, D.V. & Zachariah, A. (2015) A novel third species of the Western Ghats endemic genus Ghatixalus (Anura: Rhacophoridae), with description of its tadpole. Zootaxa, 4048 (1), 101–113.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4048.1.6
Agarwal, I., Mirza, Z.A., Pal, S., Maddock, S.T., Mishra, A. & Bauer, A.M. (2016) A new species of the Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) collegalensis (Beddome, 1870) complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Western India. Zootaxa, 4170 (2), 339–354.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4170.2.7
Batuwita, S. & Udugampala, S. (2017) Description of a new species of Cnemaspis (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Knuckles Range of Sri Lanka. Zootaxa, 4254 (1), 82–90.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4254.1.4
Biju, S.D. & Bossuyt, F. (2005) Two new Philautus (Anura: Ranidae: Rhacophorinae) from Ponmudi Hill in the Western Ghats of India. Copeia, 2005 (1), 29–37.
https://doi.org/10.1643/CH-04-194R1
Biju, S.D. & Bossuyt, F. (2009) Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus. Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 155, 374–444.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00466.x
Biju, S.D., Garg, S., Gururaja, K.V., Shouche, Y. & Walujkar, S.A. (2014) DNA barcoding reveals unprecedented diversity in Dancing Frogs of India (Micrixalidae, Micrixalus): a taxonomic revision with description of 14 new species. Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Science), 43, 37–123.
https://doi.org/10.4038/cjsbs.v43i1.6850
Cyriac, V.P. & Umesh, P.K. (2013) Current status of Cnemaspis littoralis (Jerdon, 1853) (Sauria: Gekkonidae) with designation of a neotype. Taprobanica: The Journal of Asian Biodiversity, 5, 36–43.
https://doi.org/10.4038/tapro.v5i1.5660
Cyriac, V.P. & Umesh, P.K. (2014) Description of a new ground-dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae), from Kerala, allied to C. wynadensis (Beddome, 1870). Russian Journal of Herpetology, 21 (3), 187–194.
Cyriac, V.P., Johny, A., Umesh, P.K. & Palot, M.J. (2018) Description of two new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. Zootaxa, 2576 (1), 59–68.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4459.1.3
Deepak, V., Giri, V.B., Mohammad, A., Dutta, S.K., Vyas, R., Zambre, A.M., Bhosale, H. & Karanth, K.P. (2016) Systematics and phylogeny of Sitana (Reptilia: Agamidae) of Peninsular India, with the description of one new genus and five new species. Contributions to Zoology, 85 (1), 67–111.
https://doi.org/10.1163/18759866-08501004
Dinesh, K.P., Radhakrishnan, C., Channakeshavamurthy, B.H., Deepak, P. & Kulkarni, N.U. (2017) Checklist of Amphibia of India, updated till April 2017. Available from: http://mhadeiresearchcenter.org/resources (accessed 21 December 2018)
Gamble, T., Greenbaum, E., Jackman, T.R., Russell, A.P. & Bauer, A.M. (2012) Repeated origin and loss of adhesive toepads in geckos. PLoS ONE, 7 (e39429), 1–10.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0039429
Garg, S. & Biju, S.D. (2017) Description of four new species of Burrowing Frogs in the Fejervarya rufescens complex (Dicroglossidae) with notes on morphological affinities of Fejervarya species in the Western Ghats. Zootaxa, 4277 (4), 451–490.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4277.4.1
Giri, V.B. (2008) A new rock dwelling Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Maharashtra, India. Hamadryad, 32, 25– 33.
Giri, V.B. & Bauer, A.M. (2008) A new ground-dwelling Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Maharashtra, with a key to the Hemidactylus of India. Zootaxa, 1700, 21–34.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1700.1.2
Giri, V.B., Bauer, A.M. & Gaikwad, K.S. (2009) A new ground-dwelling species of Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India. Zootaxa, 2164, 49–60.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2164.1.5
Grismer, L.L., Wood, P.L. Jr., Anuar, S., Riyanto, A., Ahmad, N., Muin, M.A., Sumontha, M., Grismer, J.L., Chan, K.O., Quah, E.S.H. & Pauwels, O.S.A. (2014) Systematics and natural history of Southeast Asian Rock Geckos (genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887) with descriptions of eight new species from Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Zootaxa, 3880 (1), 1–147.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3880.1.1
Gururaja, K.V., Dinesh, K.P., Priti, H. & Ravikanth, G. (2014) Mud-packing frog: a novel breeding behavior and parental care in a stream dwelling new species of Nyctibatrachus (Amphibia, Anura, Nyctibatrachidae). Zootaxa, 3796 (1), 33–61.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3796.1.2
Hammer, O., Harper, D.A. & Ryan, P.D. (2001) PAST: Paleontological Statistic software package for education and data analysis. Paleontologia Eletronica, 4 (1), 1–9.
Hareesh, V.S., Sreekumar, V.B., Dantas, K.J. & Sujanapal, P. (2015) Impatiens sahyadrica sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) a new species from southern Western Ghats, India. Phytotaxa, 207, 281–296.
https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.207.3.8
Joshi, J. & Edgecombe, G.D. (2013) Revision of the scolopendrid centipede Digitipes Attems, 1930, from India (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha): reconciling molecular and morphological estimates of species diversity. Zootaxa, 3626 (1), 99–145.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3626.1.5
Khandekar, A. (2019) A new species of rock-dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Tamil Nadu, southern India. Zootaxa, 4571 (3), 383–397.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4571.3.6
Khandekar, A., Gaitonde, N.A. & Agarwal, I. (2019) Two new Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Shevaroy massif, Tamil Nadu, India, with a preliminary ND2 phylogeny of Indian Cnemaspis. Zootaxa, 4609 (1), 068–100.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4609.1.3
Manamendra-Arachchi, K., Batuwita, S. & Pethiyagoda, R. (2007) A taxonomic revision of the Sri Lankan day-geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis), with description of new species from Sri Lanka and southern India. Zeylanica, 7, 9–122.
Mirza, Z.A., Pal, S., Bhosale, H.S. & Sanap, R.V. (2014) A new species of gecko of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 from the Western Ghats, India. Zootaxa, 3815 (4), 494–506.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3815.4.2
Myers, N. (1988) Threatened Biotas: hot spots in tropical forests, The Environmentalist, 8, 187–208.
https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02239720
Myers, N., Mittermeier, R.A., Mittermeier, C.G., Da Fonseca, G.A. & Kent, J. (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403, 853–858.
https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501
Pyron, R.A., Burbrink, F.T. & Wiens, J.J. (2013) A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 13, 1–53.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2148-13-93
Robin, V.V., Vishnudas, C.K., Gupta, P., Rheindt, F.E., Hooper, D.M., Ramakrishnan, U. & Reddy, S. (2017) Two new genera of songbirds represent endemic radiations from the shola sky islands of the Western Ghats, India. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 17, 1–31.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-017-0882-6
Sayyed, A., Pyron, R.A. & Dahanukar, N. (2016) Cnemaspis flaviventralis, a new species of gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 8, 9619–9629.
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2599.8.14.9619-9629
Sayyed, A., Pyron, R.A. & Dileepkumar, R. (2018) Four new species of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from the northern Western Ghats, India. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 12 (e157), 1–29.
Smith, E.N., Ogale, H., Deepak, V. & Giri, V.B. (2012) A new species of coral snake of the genus Calliophis (Squamata: Elapidae) from the west coast of peninsular India. Zootaxa, 3437 (1), 51–68.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3437.1.5
Smith, M.A. (1935) The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma; Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. 2. Sauria. Taylor and Francis, London, xiv + 440 pp., 1 pl.
Srinivasulu, C., Kumar, G.C. & Srinivasulu, B. (2015) A new species of Cnemaspis (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Northern Karnataka, India. Zootaxa, 3947 (1), 85–98.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3947.1.5
Uetz, P., Freed, P. & Hošek, J. (Eds.) (2017) The Reptile Database. Available from: http://www.reptile-database.org (accessed 6 June 2019)
Vijayakumar, S.P., Dinesh, K.P., Prabhu, M.V. & Shanker, K. (2014) Lineage delimitation and description of nine new species of bush frogs (Anura: Raorchestes, Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats Escarpment. Zootaxa, 3893 (4), 451–488.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3893.4.1
Vidanapathirana, D.R., Rajeev, M.D.G., Wickramasinghe, N., Fernando, S.S. & Wickramasinghe, L.J.M. (2014) Cnemaspis rammalensis sp. nov., Sri Lanka’s largest day-gecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from Rammalakanda Man and Biosphere Reserve in southern Sri Lanka. Zootaxa, 3755 (3), 273–286.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3755.3.5
Wickramasinghe, L.J.M. & Munindradasa, D.A.I. (2007) Review of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in Sri Lanka with the description of five new species. Zootaxa, 1490, 1–63.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.1490.1.1
Wickramasinghe, L.J.M., Vidanapathirana, D.R. & Rathnayake, R.M.G.P. (2016) Cnemaspis rajakarunai sp. nov., a rock dwelling day-gecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from Salgala, an unprotected lowland rainforest in Sri Lanka. Zootaxa, 4168 (1), 92–108.
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4168.1.4
Wood Jr., P.L., Grismer, L.L., Aowphol, A., Aguilar, C.A., Cota, M., Grismer, M.S., Murdoch, M.L. & Sites Jr., J.W. (2017) Three new karst-dwelling Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata; Gekkoniade) from Peninsular Thailand and the phylogenetic placement of C. punctatonuchalis and C. vandeventeri. Peer J, 5 (e2884), 1–46.
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2884
Zheng, Y. & Wiens, J.J. (2016) Combining phylogenomic and supermatrix approaches, and a time-calibrated phylogeny for squamate reptiles (lizards and snakes) based on 52 genes and 4162 species. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 94, 537–547.