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| Cnemaspis tigris Khandekar, Thackeray & Agarwal, 2022 DOI: 10.3897/vz.72.e76308 Photos by Tejas Thackeray. |
Abstract
We describe three new small-bodied, cryptic species of south Asian Cnemaspis belonging to the mysoriensis and goaensis clades from the Mysore Plateau and the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in Karnataka, peninsular India; and provide a key to members of each clade, besides providing the first ND2 sequence data for C. ranganaensis. Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov. from Kaiwara in Karnataka is a member of the mysoriensis clade and can be morphologically distinguished from all six described members of the clade in a number of meristic characters and subtle differences in colouration, beside ≥ 12.1–23.4 % uncorrected pairwise ND2 sequence divergence. Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov. from Sakleshpur and C. vijayae sp. nov. from Coorg, both in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, are members of the goaensis clade and are easily diagnosed from all three described members of the clade in meristic characters beside 5.2–14.8 % divergence from described members of the clade and 14.6 % from each other in uncorrected pairwise ND2 sequence divergence. The discovery of these new species from two different clades and biogeographic regions is not surprising, given the steep rise in the number of species of Cnemaspis known from peninsular India. Comprehensive geographic sampling in conjunction with molecular and morphological data is essential to understand the true diversity and distributional ranges of species within this ancient clade of gekkonid lizards.
Keywords: Cnemaspis stellapulvis, dwarf geckos, granite boulders, Mysore plateau, systematics, taxonomy, Western Ghats
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| Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov., in life: A adult male (holotype, NRC-AA-1159), and B adult female (paratype, BNHS 2811). Photos by Tejas Thackeray. |
Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet is the Latin tigris (tiger), treated here as a noun in apposition, referencing the tiger-like colour pattern in males of the new species with a strongly banded dorsum suffused with yellow.
Suggested Common Name: Tiger dwarf gecko or Kaiwara dwarf gecko.
Diagnosis: A small-sized Cnemaspis, snout to vent length less than 32 mm (n=5). Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous; weakly keeled, granular scales in the vertebral and paravertebral region with a few scattered enlarged keeled tubercles, intermixed with about three irregularly arranged rows of large, weakly keeled tubercles on each side of flank, tubercles in lowest row largest, spine-like; six rows of dorsal tubercles; ventral scales smooth, imbricate, 23–25 scales across belly, 91–107 longitudinal scales from mental to cloaca; subdigital scansors smooth, entire, unnotched; nine or 10 lamellae under digit I of manus and 9–11 lamellae under digit I of pes, 15–17 lamellae under digit IV of manus and 17–21 lamellae under digit IV of pes; males (n=4/5) with two femoral pores on each thigh separated on either side by 6–9 poreless scales from a continuous series of two (rarely three, n=1/4)) precloacal pores; tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, distinctly pointed, conical tubercles forming whorls; a median row of sub-caudals smooth, slightly enlarged. Dorsal colouration grey-brown; continuous light brown mid-dorsal streak runs from occiput to tail base, a single medial dark ocellus on mid-dorsal streak just anterior to forelimb insertions; five or six yellow-orange elongate blotches on dorsum, original tail with indistinct bands.
Distribution and Natural history: Like most of the other South Asian Cnemaspis, C. tigris sp. nov. is currently known from its type locality (near Kaiwara village in Chickballapur district, Karnataka), at an elevation of ca. 910 m asl (Fig. 1). The species was encountered during a single day of fieldwork at the base of a rocky granite hillock with large boulders, predominantly covered by thorny scrub forest (Fig. 16A). Numerous individuals (n= > 30) of the new species were observed to be active in day-time on granite boulders < 2 m of height from the ground. All the individuals were only seen in the shaded and relatively cooler areas among the rocks. Sympatric lizards recorded by us at the type locality include Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril and Bibron, 1836; Hemidactylus rishivalleyensis Agarwal, Thackeray and Khandekar, 2020; Eutropis carinata (Schneider, 1801) and Psammophilus dorsalis (Gray, 1831).
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| Colouration in life of male holotypes: A Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov., (BNHS 2814), and B Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. (NRC-AA-1188). Photos by Tejas Thackeray (A), and Akshay Khandekar (B). |
Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet is a toponym for Sakleshpur in Hassan district of Karnataka, the place where the species is currently known from.
Suggested Common Name: Sakleshpur dwarf gecko.
Diagnosis: A small-sized Cnemaspis, snout to vent length less than 32 mm (n=3). Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous; weakly keeled, granular scales on the vertebral and paravertebral region with a few scattered enlarged keeled tubercles, intermixed with irregularly arranged rows of large, keeled, tubercles on flank; upper most row strongly keeled and weakly conical, rest much enlarged, weakly keeled and spine-like; eight or nine rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body; ventral scales smooth, imbricate, 23–26 scales across belly, 118–127 longitudinal scales from mental to cloaca; subdigital scansors smooth, entire, unnotched; 9–11 lamellae under digit I of manus and 11 lamellae under digit I of pes, 14–16 lamellae under digit IV of manus and 16–20 lamellae under digit IV of pes; male (n=1/3) with three or four femoral pores, separated by 10 or 11 poreless scales from continuous series of two precloacal pores; each pore bearing scale flanked posteriorly with enlarged spine-like scale; tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, distinctly pointed, conical tubercles forming whorls; a median row of sub-caudal scales slightly enlarged, smooth only at anterior half of the tail, rest strongly keeled. Dorsal colouration grey-brown with a discontinuous, poorly defined light brown mid-dorsal streak extending from occiput to tail base, with yellow diffuse blotches and a few small black spots forming eight indistinct bars on dorsum; dark medial ocellus on occiput and another slightly smaller just anterior to forelimb insertions; original tail banded.
Distribution and Natural history: Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov. is currently known only from its type locality (in and around Mookanana Resort, Hongadahalla village, Sakleshpur, Hassan District, Karnataka), at an elevation of ca. 850 m. (Fig. 1). The type locality is part of Central Western Ghats and dominated by semi-evergreen forest. Approximately 10 individuals of the new species were encountered during two days of fieldwork. Individuals were seen active during the day time (0800–1700 hrs) on rocky faces in shaded areas alongside streams, on tree trunks and occasionally on building walls at a height of 2–5 m above ground (Fig. 16B). The holotype (BNHS 2814) was collected from a rock crevice in a forested patch just after moderate rain showers, a sub-adult female (NRC-AA-1164) was found active on a mossy tree trunk in the afternoon hours, and an adult female (NRC-AA-1165) was collected early morning (0700 hrs) from a building wall. Sympatric lizards sighted by us at the type locality include Cnemaspis magnifica, C. schalleri, Hemidactylus frenatus and Monilesaurus rouxii (Duméril and Bibron, 1837).
Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov.
Etymology: The specific epithet is a Latinized eponym in honour of India’s first women herpetologist, Late Jagannathan Vijaya (1959–1987) for her inspiring contribution towards ecology of rare Indian turtles.
Suggested Common Name: Vijaya’s Coorg dwarf gecko.
Diagnosis: A small-sized Cnemaspis, snout to vent length less than 36 mm (n=5). Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous; weakly keeled, granular scales, intermixed with irregularly arranged rows of large, keeled, tubercles on the body; two or three rows of enlarged tubercles on each flank weakly keeled and spine-like; 9–11 rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body, irregularly arranged rows of paravertebral tubercles between forelimb and hindlimb insertions; ventral scales smooth (rarely keeled n=1), subimbricate, 26–30 scales across belly at mid-body, 118–127 longitudinal scales from mental to cloaca; subdigital scansors smooth, entire, unnotched; 10 or 11 lamellae under digit I of manus and pes, 15 or 16 lamellae under digit IV of manus and 17–19 lamellae under digit IV of pes; males (n=3/5) with three or four femoral pores on thigh, separated by seven or eight poreless scales on either side from three discontinuous precloacal pores, a single precloacal pore on left and two on right side, separated by one or two poreless scale (n=2/3); precloacal pores sometime continuous (n=1/3); each femoral pore bearing scale flanked posteriorly with enlarged spine-like scale; tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, distinctly pointed, conical tubercles forming whorls; median row of sub-caudal scales slightly enlarged, smooth only at anterior half of the tail, rest weakly keeled. Dorsal ground colour dirty brown with a bright straw-coloured mid-dorsal stripe that extends from occiput to tail in some specimens; dark blotch on nape forming indistinct collar and smaller ocellus just anterior to forelimb insertions; dark markings and light grey blotches on dorsum; original tail with thick mid-dorsal stripe.
Distribution and Natural history: The new species is currently known only from its montane type locality (1250 m elevation) in the Central Western Ghats, within a large property surrounded by coffee plantations with large trees and evergreen forest (Fig. 16C). The area is contiguous with Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, where the new species may occur. A few individuals were observed during sunny weather between ~0800–1400 hrs at a height of 2–4 m on the walls of a few buildings. The new species is sympatric with two congeners, C. cf. schalleri and C. cf. wynadensis. During the second trip to the type locality in late November, we observed new species in good numbers, predominantly on the building walls above 2–4 m height and sympatric with C. cf. schalleri.
Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray and Ishan Agarwal. 2022. Three New Cryptic Species of South Asian Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Karnataka, India. Vertebrate Zoology. 72: 115-142. DOI: 10.3897/vz.72.e76308
