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| Cnemaspis barkiensis, C. chandoliensis, C. maharashtraensis and C. sahyadriensis Khandekar, Gaikwad, Thackeray, Gangalmale & Agarwal, 2024 |
Abstract
The girii clade is the most diverse clade of South Asian Cnemaspis in the Northern Western Ghats, including ten valid species. Recent collections of four divergent lineages from southern Maharashtra prompted us to examine the type material of all species in the girii clade, which led to the discovery of numerous errors and discrepancies in the literature. We take this opportunity to provide an updated and expanded morphological dataset including diagnoses and comparisons for all species of the girii clade and to build an almost complete species-level phylogeny including the first ND2 sequences of C. rajgadensis and C. uttaraghati, as well as the four new species described herein (but excluding C. fortis). We describe the four divergent mitochondrial lineages as new species using morphological data, and provide a key to species of the girii clade. Finally, we list some inconsistences in previous publications and data for the girii clade.
Squamata, Biodiversity hotspot, dwarf geckos, phylogeny, day geckos, species complex, taxonomy, Western Ghats
"... We have named one of the four new species Cnemaspis barkiensis, after the type locality, Barki Reserve Forest in Kolhapur District. The remaining three new species were found in the Chandoli National Park in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, and we have named them Cnemaspis chandoliensis (after the Chandoli National Park), Cnemaspis maharashtraensis (after the Maharashtra State), and Cnemaspis sahyadriensis (after the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and Sahyadri Mountain Range). All four new species are endemic similar to other members of their genus, and are currently known only from around their respective type localities. ..."
Akshay Khandekar, Sunil M. Gaikwad, Tejas Thackeray, Satpal Gangalmale and Ishan Agarwal. 2024. A preliminary Taxonomic Revision of the girii clade of South Asian Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) with the Description of Four New Species from southern Maharashtra, India. Zootaxa. 5429(1); 1-114. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5429.1.1
Researchgate.net/publication/379264913_A_preliminary_taxonomic_revision_of_the_Cnemaspis_girii_clade_of_South_Asia
