Elevation map showing the distribution of the new species and other members of the brookii group distributed in peninsular India (stars, new species; triangles, gleadowi clade; circles, murrayi clade; diamonds, malcolmsmithi-parvimaculatus clade; squares, ground-dwelling clade). The type locality is marked for H. murrayi.

Left, inset, backbone maximum likelihood phylogeny of Indian Hemidactylus with major groups marked in different colours; Hemidactylus quartziticolus sp. nov. is marked by a red rectangle within the brookii group (see Table S1 for GenBank accession numbers). Main figure, Maximum Likelihood phylogeny of the brookii group of Indian Hemidactylus based on the ND2 gene. Posterior Probability = 1/ bootstrap support ≥75 shown at nodes, outgroups not shown.

Hemidactylus quartziticolus sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-1256): A dorsal view of body, B ventral view of body, C dorsal view of tail, D ventral view of tail, and E lateral view of tail. Scale bars 10 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Hemidactylus quartziticolus sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-1256): A dorsal view of head, B ventral view of head, C lateral view of head, D view of cloacal region showing precloacal-femoral pores and post cloacal spurs, E ventral view of left manus, and F ventral view of left pes. Scale bars 5 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Details at mid-body of Hemidactylus quartziticolus sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-1256): A dorsal view, B ventral view, and C lateral view. Scale bars 5 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Hemidactylus quartziticolus sp. nov. in life: A male, holotype NRC-AA-1256, B female, paratype NRC-AA-1264, and C uncollected juvenile. Photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Paratype series of Hemidactylus quartziticolus sp. nov. from left to right: NRC-AA-1257–NRC-AA-1265, A dorsal view, and B ventral view. Scale bar 10 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Habitat of Hemidactylus quartziticolus sp. nov.: A general habitat at the type locality, B quartzite rock formation on which individuals of the new species were seen at the type locality, and C general habitat at Kurumalai, from where a few paratypes of the new species were collected. Photos by Akshay Khandekar (A and B), and Ishan Agarwal (C).