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| Cnemaspis adii Srinivasulu, Kumar & Srinivasulu, 2015 |
Abstract
A new species of rupicolous gecko of the genus Cnemaspis is described from Hampi, Karnataka, southern India. Cnemaspis adii sp. nov. is diagnosable from all the Indian congeners in possessing the following suite of characters: medium-sized Cnemaspis, SVL less than 35 mm (31.7–34.9). Dorsal scales on the trunk homogeneous, small, granular and feebly keeled. Spine-like tubercles absent on the flanks. Mental subtraingular, two pairs of postmentals, primary pair separated by a single chin shield. Ventral scales on the trunk smooth, imbricate; 22–26 scales across the belly. Supralabial I narrowly in contact with nasal. Dorsal aspect of forelimbs and hindlimbs are weakly unicarinate. Lamellae under the digit IV of pes 20–22. Males with two precloacal pores, two femoral pores on each side of the thigh. The existence of the species in a World Heritage Site with continuous anthropogenic interference ascertains the robustness of the species and need for additional herpetofaunal explorations to reveal the total diversity of species of the genus Cnemaspis in peninsular India.
Keywords: Cnemaspis, description, Hampi, Gekkonidae, Karnataka, India
Srinivasulu, Chelmala, Gandla C. Kumar & Bhargavi Srinivasulu. 2015. A New Species of Cnemaspis (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Northern Karnataka, India.
Zootaxa. 3947(1): 85–98. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3947.1.5
Zootaxa. 3947(1): 85–98. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3947.1.5
Hyderabad researcher discovers new species of gecko, Cnemaspis adii, in ruins of Hampi in Karnataka
A new species of the day gecko, a type of lizard usually found in warm climates, has been spotted at the ruins of the World Heritage Site of Hampi in Karnataka. The gecko has been named Cnemaspis adii after a young herpetology researcher from Hyderabad, Aditya Srinivasulu.
