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| Cnemaspis anamudiensis
Cyriac, Johny, Umesh & Palot, 2018
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Abstract
Two new species of geckos of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 are described from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala. Both species are medium to large sized Cnemaspis and can be differentiated from all other Indian congeners by a suite of distinct morphological characters. Both species are found in the high elevation forests of the two major massifs — Anaimalai Hills and Agasthyamalai Hills and are presently known to have very restricted distributional ranges. The discovery of these novel species highlights the understudied diversity of reptiles in the high mountain ranges of the Western Ghats.
Keywords: Reptilia, Cnemaspis, Gekkonidae, new species, southern Western Ghats
Cnemaspis maculicollis sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet is derived from the Latin word macula meaning spot and collus meaning neck
referring to the distinctive necklace like white spots on the nape of this species.
Distribution: .... Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary in Kollam District of Kerala in the Agasthyamalai Hill complex; at
an elevation range of 1200–1250 m.
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| Colour in life of male Cnemaspis anamudiensis sp.nov. |
Cnemaspis anamudiensis sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet is named after the Anamudi reserve forest in Munnar of Idukki District of
Kerala, the type and only known locality for this species.
Distribution: ... Anamudi Reserve
Forest in the Munnar Forest Division of Idukki District at an elevation range of 1860 –
1900 m. The area is contiguous with Eravikulam National Park and is near Anaimudi peak (2695m ASL),
the highest peak in the Western Ghats.
Vivek Philip Cyriac, Alex Johny, P.K. Umesh and Muhamed Jafer Palot. 2018. Description of Two New Species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. Zootaxa. 4459(1); 85–100. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4459.1.3
