Lygosoma pruthi Sharma, 1977

Riopa – Sharma (1976, 1978)

Lygosoma – Das (1996)

Subdoluseps – Freitas et al. (2019), Ganesh et al. (2021)

Medium-sized skinks (adult SVL < 58 mm; n = 89), original tail equal to or slightly longer than body. Dorsal scales on body and tail smooth, cycloid, imbricate; ventrals similar except marginally larger on pectoral and precloacal region; scales on lateral tail base smooth or tricarinate; 62–70 scales in paravertebral rows; 26–32 scales around mid-body; 61–73 ventral scales (rarely 76, n = 1/89); 8–12 enlarged precloacal scales (rarely 13, n = 1/89); and 18–23 scales round the tail. Supranasals in contact with each other behind rostral (rarely not in contact, n = 1/89); single frontonasal; prefrontals relatively small, widely separated on midline; frontal elongate, bell-shaped; four supraoculars; three supraoculars in contact with frontoparietal (rarely two, n = 4/89); frontoparietal divided; interparietal diamond-shaped, eyespot in posterior projection; parietals large, in medial contact posterior to interparietal; 2–4 nuchals, either in contact behind parietals or separated medially by 1–3 paravertebral scales. Nasal divided; two loreals; a single pre-supraocular; two preoculars (rarely three, n = 4/89); and a single sub-preocular (rarely absent, n = 5/89); 6–8 supraciliaries (rarely nine, n = 1/89); lower eyelid with enlarged, transparent central window; a single post-supraocular and postocular; and three or four sub-postoculars (rarely five, n = 3/89); a single primary, two secondary (rarely three, n = 1/89), and three tertiary (rarely four, n = 1/89) temporals. Six or seven supralabials and infralabials; fourth or fifth supralabial elongate, below eye; one or two post-supralabials; 1–3 ear lobules; three enlarged pairs of chin shields. Pentadactyl; limbs well-developed; subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth to weakly keeled; 4–7 lamellae under digit I of manus and pes, 9–12 lamellae under digit IV of manus and 12–17 lamellae under digit IV of pes (rarely 18, n = 1/89). Viviparous, litter size 2–4. Dorsum light coconut to dark chocolate brown; thick dark band from rostrum to tail speckled with light spots; supralabials with a white streak; males with yellow on lower parts of forebody and flanks, sometimes extending onto belly; venter white with some darker markings (Fig. 9).

Figure 9. 

Dravidoseps gen. nov. species in life: A D. pruthi comb. nov. (neotype, NRC-AA-1291); B D. goaensis comb. nov. (neotype, BNHS 2567); C D. nilgiriensis comb. nov. (ZSI-R-28604); D D. gingeeensis sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-8273); E D. jawadhuensis sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-8274); F D. kalakadensis sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-8275); G D. srivilliputhurensis sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-8279); and H D. tamilnaduensis sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-8286). Photos by Akshay Khandekar (B–D, F–H) and Ishan Agarwal (A, E).

Dravidoseps gen. nov. differs from Subdoluseps by the presence of a transparent central window in the lower eyelid (versus no transparent central window in the lower eyelid), by the presence of an open secondary palate (versus a closed secondary palate) and by being viviparous (versus oviparous) (Freitas et al. 2019; Zimin et al. 2021).

Dravidoseps goaensis comb. nov., Dravidoseps pruthi comb. nov., Dravidoseps nilgiriensis comb. nov., and five species described below.

This genus comprises species that share a more recent common ancestor with Dravidoseps pruthi comb. nov. than with Subdoluseps bowringii.

A combination of the Sanskrit ‘Dravida’, referring to the original inhabitants of southern India and Sri Lanka, and the Ancient Greek ‘seps’, for a snake-like creature that has been previously used in skink generic names (e.g. Erens et al. 2017; Freitas et al. 2019). The gender of the genus is masculine and the suggested common name is Indian leaf-litter skinks.

The three known species and five unnamed lineages (described below) are distributed in peninsular India, including the northern Western Ghats, central and southern Western Ghats, the edge of the Mysore Plateau and isolated massifs in Tamil Nadu (Fig. 1). Members of the genus are diurnal (sometimes seen moving in the litter soon after dark) and are terrestrial and partially fossorial.

Riopa pruthi – Sharma (1977)

Lygosoma pruthi – Das (1996, 2003)

Subdoluseps pruthi – Freitas et al. (2019), Ganesh et al. (2021)

ZSI 22393, unsexed adult, “Chitteri range, lat. 11°50′N, long. 78°25′E, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India [= Sitteri, Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu, India; ~11.833°N, 78.417°E] ”, collected by Dr. H. S. Pruthi in 1929 (Sharma 1977). Considered lost (Das et al. 1998; Ganesh and Aengals 2018; Ganesh et al. 2021; Pratyush Mohapatra pers. comm).

Two unsexed specimens in ZSI (museum numbers unavailable), same data and status as holotype.

(designated herein) NRC-AA-1291 (AK-R 2222). Adult female, from Sitteri Hills (11.90208°N, 78.51800°E; elevation ca. 880 m asl.), Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu State, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Ishan Agarwal, Swapnil Pawar and team on 29^th May 2022.

NRC-AA-1292 (AK 803), NRC-AA-1293 (AK 804), and NRC-AA-1294 (AK 805), subadults, from Forest Department campus, Sitteri Hills (11.89152°N, 78.50747°E; elevation ca. 950 m asl.), Dharmapuri District, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Ishan Agarwal, Swapnil Pawar, Tejas Thackeray and team on 1^st June 2019; BNHS 2525 (AK-R 2197), BNHS 2557 (AK-R 2198), BNHS 2558 (AK-R 2200), adult males, from Palamalai Hills (11.70744°N, 77.73598°E; elevation ca. 1000 m asl.); ZSI-R-28600 (AK-R 2201), subadult, from Palamalai Hills (11.73335°N, 77.73156°E; elevation ca. 600 m asl.), Salem District, same collectors as neotype, collected on 28^th May 2022; ZSI-R-28601 (AK-R 2716), adult male, from Vanavasi Reserve Forest (11.75203°N, 77.84129°E; elevation ca. 520 m asl.), Salem District, same collectors as neotype, collected on 11^th October 2022; ZSI-R-28602 (AK-R 2750), adult female, from north of Yercaud (11.90822°N, 78.18878°E; elevation ca. 650 m asl.), in Shevaroy Hills, Salem District, same collectors as neotype, collected on 15^th October 2022.

AK-R-2213, from Sitteri Hills (11.92978°N, 78.51765°E), Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu.

Named for the collector of the holotype, H.S. Pruthi.

Pruthi’s leaf-litter skink.

A medium-sized skink, snout to vent length up to 56 mm (n = 10). Seven supralabials and six (rarely seven, n = 1/10) infralabials up to angle of mouth; fifth supralabial elongate and below eye; a single post-supralabial; 6–8 supraciliaries; a single slightly elongated nuchal on either side, separated by two or three scales behind parietal; 64–69 scales in paravertebral rows; 30 scales around mid-body; 64–70 ventral scales (rarely 76, n = 1/10); 10 enlarged precloacal scales; scales on lateral sides of tail base smooth, 21–23 scales around the tail. Subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth to weakly keeled; five or six lamellae under digit I of manus and 4–7 under digit I of pes; 10 or 11 lamellae under digit IV of manus; and 14–17 under digit IV of pes (rarely 18, n = 1/10). Dorsum dull sand; thick grey stripe from rostrum to tail speckled with light spots; supralabials with a white streak; males with yellow on lower parts of forebody and flanks; venter glossy grey-white with some darker markings.

Dravidoseps pruthi comb. nov. is diagnosed against D. goaensis comb. nov., D. nilgiriensis comb. nov. and the new species described below as part of their respective descriptions.

Adult female (SVL 54.9 mm) in good state of preservation except body slightly bent towards right at forearm insertion, tail towards left posterior to base, a 3.4 mm long incision in the sternal region for liver tissue collection, and 15.5 mm long incision (made after taking morphological data and photos) at ventral mid-body to check for eggs/ embryos (Fig. 10A, B). Head short (HL/SVL 0.14), wide (HW/HL 0.71), not strongly depressed (HH/HL 0.52), indistinct from neck. Loreal region not inflated, canthus rostralis indistinct. Snout almost half head length (ES/HL 0.46), more than twice eye diameter (ES/ED 2.23). Rostral almost twice as wide (1.5 mm) as long (0.8 mm), in broad contact with supranasals posteriorly and supralabial I and nasals on either side; supranasals in contact with each other medially, frontonasal posteriorly, nasals and anterior loreals laterally; frontonasal much wider (1.8 mm) than long (1.1 mm), in contact with supranasals anteriorly, prefrontals and frontal posteriorly, anterior loreals laterally; prefrontals relatively small, widely separated on midline, anteriorly in contact with frontonasal, posteriorly with frontal, first supraocular and first supraciliary, laterally with anterior and posterior loreals. Frontal elongate, roughly bell-shaped, widest anteriorly at the point where prefrontals and first supraciliary connect; in contact with frontonasal anteriorly, frontoparietals posteriorly, prefrontals and first two supraoculars on either side; four supraoculars and one small post-supraocular and postocular on either side; frontoparietals in medial contact posterior to frontal, in contact with second, third, and fourth supraoculars anterolaterally and parietals and interparietal posteriorly. Interparietal large, roughly diamond-shaped, slightly projecting posteriorly, eyespot in posterior projection; postinterparietal absent; parietals large, in medial contact posterior to interparietal, in contact with frontoparietals, fourth supraocular, and post-supraocular anteriorly, two nuchal scales and three dorsal scales posteriorly, first secondary temporal laterally; a single enlarged nuchal scale on either side separated from each other by three dorsal scales (Fig. 10C). Nasals small, trapezoidal, widely separated, in contact with rostral anteriorly, supranasal dorsally, anterior loreal posteriorly, first supralabial ventrally; nostril in center of nasal; anterior loreal marginally taller (0.7 mm) than wide (0.6 mm); posterior loreal slightly larger than anterior loreal and slightly wider (0.8 mm) than tall (0.6 mm); a single small supra-preocular, an upper and lower preocular, and a single sub-preocular present on either side (Fig. 10E). Eye small (ED/ HL 0.20) with round pupil; lower eyelid with enlarged, transparent central window; eight supraciliaries on left and seven on right, anterior supraciliary largest, bordered by prefrontal anteriorly, first supraocular dorsally, and pre-supraocular, upper preocular and posterior loreal laterally; posterior superciliary elongate and projecting dorsomedially, bordered by fourth supraocular dorsally, post-supraocular posteriorly, and first post-subocular laterally; four post-suboculars on either side; a single primary temporal, two secondary temporals, and three tertiary temporals on either side; seven supralabials, fifth and sixth below eye; fifth supralabial elongate, in broad contact with four or five small scales on lower eyelid below eye on either side; a single post-supralabial on either side; six infralabials on either side; two scales separating post-supralabial and external ear opening; external ear opening small (EL/HL 0.07), oval, bearing two anterior lobules on either side; tympanum deep (Fig. 10E). Mental almost twice as wide (1.8 mm) as long (1.0 mm); a single large postmental in contact with first and second infralabials on either side; three enlarged pairs of chin shields posterior to postmental; anterior pair large (1.4 mm), roughly rectangular, in medial contact with each other below postmental and bordered by second and third infralabials, middle pair of chin shields, and by a single median gular scale on either side; middle pair largest (1.7 mm), roughly rectangular, separated from each other by two longitudinally arranged gular scales, bordered by third and fourth infralabials, posterior pair of chin shields, and four gular scales on either side; posterior pair smallest (0.8 mm), roughly square, separated from each other by five transversely arranged gular scales, bordered by fourth and fifth infralabials and three gular scales on either side; rest of the gular scales much smaller than postmentals, cycloid and imbricate, two or three rows bordering infralabials slightly smaller and elongate (Fig. 10D).

Figure 10. 

Dravidoseps pruthi comb. nov. (neotype, NRC-AA-1291): A dorsal view of body, B ventral view of body, C dorsal view of head, D ventral view of head, E lateral left side view of head, F ventral view of left manus, and G ventral view of left pes. Scale bars: A, B = 10 mm; C–E, G = 5 mm; F = 3 mm. Photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Body relatively slender (BW/AGL 0.23), elongate (AGL/SVL = 0.59); dorsal scales on body smooth, cycloid, imbricate; ventrals similar to dorsals except subequal from chest to vent, marginally larger on pectoral and precloacal region; 69 scales in paravertebral rows; 30 scales around mid-body; 69 ventral scales; 10 enlarged precloacal scales (Fig. 10A, B). Limbs, robust, short (FL/SVL = 0.06; CL/SVL = 0.08), widely separated when adpressed; dorsal scales slightly larger than ventral scales; palmar scales raised; plantar scales large, raised, coarse granules; all digits short, scales on dorsal surfaces in single row, subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth to weakly keeled; lamellae series: 6-8-9-11-7 left manus (Fig. 10F), 6-10-14-16-11 left pes (Fig. 10G), 6-10-10-11-8 right manus, 6-11-14-15-11 right pes. Relative length of digits (measurements in mm in parentheses): IV (2.2) > III (2.1) > II (1.7) > V (1.4) > I (0.9) (left manus); IV (4.5) > III (3.7) > V (2.9) > II (2.6) > I (1.2) (left pes).

Tail original, entire, cylindrical, slightly shorter than snout-vent length (TL/SVL 0.88); dorsal and ventral scales on tail cycloid, imbricate, similar to those on body dorsum except for posterior 1/3^rd on which median dorsal and subcaudal scale rows distinctly larger than surrounding scales; tail ending in a pointed scute; scales on lateral sides of tail base smooth, 21 scales around the tail (Fig. 10A, B).

Dorsal ground colouration of body, head and tail dull sand with a bronze tint; head with a few dark markings; dorsal scales of body and tail outlined by dark brown, centre of scales with dark markings, more prominent on hindbody and tail; limbs darker than body dorsum and with light spots; a thick grey stripe running from rostrum through orbit and onto flank and tail with scattered white spots, flanked dorsally by an indistinct, narrow, lighter stripe; supralabials with a white streak, dark band forming reticulations on lateral aspect of tail; ventral regions glossy grey-white with fine black stripes on edges of throat, neck and tail.

Mensural and meristic data for topotypic and additional specimens are given in Table 5. There are four subadults, four adult males and a single adult female. All specimens resemble the neotype female (NRC-AA-1291) in overall morphology and head scalation except for the following variation: four SO with an additional small scale between SO I and II on left side; six SC on either side in NRC-AA-1292, seven in BNHS 2557, six on left and seven on right side in ZSI-R-28602, and eight on either side in BNHS 2525, BNHS 2558, ZSI-R-28600, ZSI-R-28601; a single PrSbO on either side in NRC-AA-1292, NRC-AA-1293, BNHS 2525, BNHS 2558, ZSI-R-28600, ZSI-R-28601, ZSI-R-28602, and PrSbO absent on either side in BNHS 2557; 2.8 mm and 3.9 mm skin injury on right side of head between posterior postmental till ear opening in ZSI-R-28601 and ZSI-R-28602, respectively. More than half the tail of NRC-AA-1292 and NRC-AA-1293 collected as tissue for DNA sampling; ZSI-R-28601 with entire and original tail; BNHS 2525, BNHS 2557 and, BNHS 2558 with entire but partially regenerated tails; NRC-AA-1294, ZSI-R-28600, and ZSI-R-28602 with entire but partially regenerated tails which are detached from the body. BNHS 2557 with partial everted hemipenis on either side, BNHS 2525 with partially everted hemipenis only on right, and BNHS 2558 with only on left side. After collection of morphological data, ZSI-R-28601 (adult male) and ZSI-R-28602 (adult female) were dissected from the ventral region of mid-body (11.3 mm and 15.3 mm long incision respectively) to check sex and the presence of eggs/ embryos.

Dravidoseps pruthi comb. nov. is known from Sitteri Hills in Dharmapuri District (type locality), and the northern slopes of Yercaud in Shevaroy Hills, Vanavasi Reserve Forest, and Palamalai, all in Salem District, Tamil Nadu India. The two most distant localities (Palamalai and Sitteri Hills) are >85 km apart in aerial distance (Fig. 1). The locality, Teerthamalai, reported by Ganesh and Aengals (2018) is likely to represent an additional locality for D. pruthi as it is just 20 km north of the type locality and falls within the same hill complex. However, genetic and morphological data are needed to confirm this.

Diurnal, found in the day either moving in leaf litter, in soil or under rocks. The four localities we recorded the species from are at elevations of 500–1000 m asl. with a mix of scrub, deciduous and dry evergreen to semi-evergreen forest with scattered sheet rocks (Fig. 11A). At Sitteri, three subadults were collected in the Forest Department Guesthouse campus from under rocks surrounded by dry leaf-litter during the day (1430 hrs). The adult female neotype was found < 2 km from the first locality during the day (1030 hrs); sympatric lizards found at the first locality include Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) cf. collegalensis; Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron; H. leschenaultii Duméril & Bibron; H. whitakeri Mirza, Gowande, Patil, Ambekar & Patel; Hemiphyllodactylus cf. jnana, and Calotes versicolor (Daudin); and at the second locality include Eutropis carinata (Schneider); E. macularia (Blyth); E. beddomei (Jerdon); Riopa albopunctata Gray; and Psammophilus dorsalis (Gray). At Yercaud, the species was found buried inside loose soil under a rock in a shaded area within a small open patch during the morning (0830 hrs). Sympatric lizards encountered were Riopa albopunctata and Calotes versicolor. At Vanavasi Reserve Forest, the species were found under a rock in an open area along the path during the day time (1030 hrs); the sympatric lizards seen were Cnemaspis cf. agarwali, Eutropis carinata, and Calotes versicolor. At Palamalai Hills, individuals were found buried in loose, moist soil under or around rocks in a large sheet rock patch surrounded by dry evergreen forest during the early evening (1530–1730 hrs). Sympatric lizards were Hemidactylus sankariensis Agarwal, Bauer Giri & Khandekar; Eutropis beddomei; E. macularia; Riopa albopunctata; Ophisops leschenaultii (Milne-Edwards); and Psammophilus dorsalis.

Figure 11. 

General habitats of all species of Dravidoseps sp. nov.: A type locality of D. pruthi comb. nov.; B neotype locality of D. goaensis comb. nov.; C habitat photo of D. nilgiriensis comb. nov., from Thamarakarai; D type locality of D. gingeeensis sp. nov.; E type locality of D. jawadhuensis sp. nov.; F type locality of D. kalakadensis sp. nov.; G paratype locality of D. srivilliputhurensis sp. nov., near Atthi Kovil Falls; and H type locality of D. tamilnaduensis sp. nov.. Photos by Akshay Khandekar (A–C, F–H), Ishan Agarwal (D), and Vinod (E).

Unknown. No gravid female in the additional material examined (two non-gravid females dissected: ZSI-R-28602 and neotype, NRC-AA-1291).

Our topotypical and genetically assigned specimens match the original description provided by Sharma (1977) except for SVL (up to 56 mm, n = 10, versus 67 mm in original description); TL (up to 49 mm, n = 7; versus 72 mm); the number of nuchals (a single nuchal on either side separated by two or three scales versus two pairs of nuchals); the number of Elo (two or three on either side versus six); RBS (30 versus 32–34); and PVS (64–69 versus 50). We could not verify the counts as the type specimens are lost (Das et al. 1998; Ganesh and Aengals 2018; Ganesh et al. 2021; Pratyush Mohapatra pers. comm.). The values for SVL and TL, and paravertebral scale count in original description are likely to be incorrect as none of the species in the genus have such high values. The RBS (32–34) count is also likely to be incorrect as all topotypical and other specimens assigned to the species have 30 RBS (n = 10). The nuchal scale count was most likely defined and counted differently and includes two paravertebral scales between a single elongated nuchal on either side instead of two pairs as can be seen in the line drawing from Sharma (1977); and Elo is most likely a combined count of left and right (three each). Subsequently, Ganesh et al. (2021) used morphological data (from Ganesh and Aengals 2018) and morphological + genetic data from a single specimen of Dravidoseps gen. nov. each from Pachaimalai Hills and Jawadhu Hills respectively to establish taxonomic and genetic conscription of D. pruthi comb. nov. in the absence of the type or topotypic specimens of the species, based on similarities in taxonomic characters and geography. However, our sampling from the type locality of D. pruthi comb. nov., the Pachaimalai Hills, and Jawadhu Hills show that topotypic samples of D. pruthi comb. nov. are morphologically and genetically divergent from samples from both other localities given by Ganesh et al. (2021), which we describe as new species below. Comments on discrepancies in certain morphological characters based on our data and that provided by Ganesh and Aengals (2018) and Ganesh et al. (2021) are listed as part of the respective descriptions of the new species.

Riopa goaensis – Sharma (1976), Freitas et al. (2019)

Lygosoma goaensis – Das (1996)

ZSI 22032, unsexed adult, “ca. 5 km N.E. of Forest Rest House, Molem” [South Goa District, Goa State, India], collected by Zoological Survey of India during 1966–1969 (Sharma 1976). Not in the specimen jar at ZSI, Kolkata (Pratyush Mohapatra pers. comm).

(designated herein) BNHS 2567 (AK 1345), adult female, from the vicinity of Hotel Whistling Woods (15.96006°N, 73.99736°E; elevation ca. 720 m asl.), Amboli, Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra State, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar on 18^th February 2021.

ZSI-R-28612 (AK-R 847), adult male same data as neotype except collected on 3^rd January 2022; NRC-AA-1303 (AK 1052), subadult, from near Ugwai temple (16.37237°N, 73.86344°E; elevation ca. 650 m asl.), Dajipur; NRC-AA-1304 (AK 1192), subadult, from Talaye (16.65794°N, 73.91782°E; elevation ca. 600 m asl.); NRC-AA-1305 (AK 1300), adult male, from near Pandivare (16.36671°N, 74.09036°E; elevation ca. 820 m asl.); and BNHS 2566 (AK 1303), adult female, from near Kapurkada Falls, Washi (16.72807°N, 73.87645°E; elevation ca. 700 m asl.); all in Kolhapur District, Maharashtra State, India, same collectors as neotype, collected March–July 2019. NRC-AA-1302 (AK-R 2808), subadult, from Ustam (15.55983°N, 74.18788°E; elevation ca. 150 m asl.), South Goa District, Goa State, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Satpal Gangalmale, and Swapnil Pawar on 20 June 2023.

Named for its type locality, Goa.

Goan leaf-litter skink.

A medium-sized skink snout to vent length up to 56 mm (n = 7). Six or seven supralabials and six (rarely seven, n = 1/7) infralabials up to angle of mouth; fifth supralabial elongate and below eye (rarely fifth on one side, n = 2/7); one or two post-supralabials; seven supraciliaries (rarely six on one side, n = 1/7); a single slightly elongated nuchal on either side (rarely two on one side n = 1/7), in contact with each other behind parietal or separated by one or two scales; 62–67 scales in paravertebral rows; 28–30 scales around mid-body; 64–66 ventral scales (rarely 73, n = 1/7); eight enlarged precloacal scales (rarely 10, n = 1/7); scales on lateral sides of tail base smooth, 18 or 19 scales around the tail. Subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth; five or six lamellae under digit I of manus and pes (rarely four on one side on manus, n = 1/7); 10 or 11 lamellae under digit IV of manus; and 13–15 under digit IV of pes (rarely 12 on one side, n = 1/7). Dorsum coconut brown; thick stripe from rostrum to tail speckled with light spots; supralabials with white streak; males with yellow on lower parts of forebody and flanks; venter glossy grey-white with darker markings.

Dravidoseps goaensis comb. nov. can be diagnosed from D. pruthi comb. nov. (data in parentheses) based on the following characters: keeled scales on tail base (versus unkeeled scales on tail base); 29.0 ± 1.00 (28–30) RBS (versus 30.0 ± 0.00 (30)); 13.4 ± 0.79 (13–15) Lam4T (versus 16.1 ± 1.20 (14–18)); 18 or 19 RTS (versus 21–23 in D. pruthi comb. nov.). Dravidoseps goaensis comb. nov. is diagnosed against D. nilgiriensis comb. nov. and the new species described below as part of their respective descriptions.

Adult female (SVL 54.9 mm) in good state of preservation except tail damaged at three places along its length, a 4.0 mm long incision in the sternal region for liver tissue collection, and 14.1 mm long incision at ventral mid-body (made after taking morphological data and photos) to check for eggs/ embryos (Fig. 12A, B). Head short (HL/SVL 0.15), wide (HW/HL 0.73), not strongly depressed (HH/HL 0.51), indistinct from neck. Loreal region not inflated, canthus rostralis indistinct. Snout almost half head length (ES/HL 0.40), twice eye diameter (ES/ED 2.00). Rostral twice as wide (1.8 mm) as long (0.9 mm), in broad contact with supranasals posteriorly and supralabial I and nasals on either side; supranasals in contact with each other medially, frontonasal posteriorly, nasals and anterior loreals laterally; frontonasal much wider (1.8 mm) than long (1.2 mm), in contact with supranasals anteriorly, prefrontals and frontal posteriorly, anterior loreals laterally; prefrontals relatively small, widely separated on midline, in contact anteriorly with frontonasal, posteriorly with frontal, first supraocular and first supraciliary, laterally with anterior and posterior loreals. Frontal elongate, roughly bell-shaped, widest anteriorly at the point where prefrontals and first supraocular connect; in contact with frontonasal anteriorly, frontoparietals posteriorly, prefrontals and first two supraoculars on either side; four supraoculars and one small post-supraocular and postocular on either side; frontoparietals in medial contact posterior to frontal, in contact with second, third and fourth supraoculars anterolaterally and parietals and interparietal posteriorly. Interparietal large, roughly diamond-shaped, slightly projecting posteriorly, eyespot in posterior projection; postinterparietal absent; parietals large, in medial contact posterior to interparietal, in contact anteriorly with frontoparietals, fourth supraocular, and post-supraocular, posteriorly with three nuchal scales and a single dorsal scale, laterally with first secondary temporal; two slightly enlarged nuchal scales on left and a single on right separated from each other by a single dorsal scale (Fig. 12C). Nasals small, trapezoidal, widely separated, in contact with rostral anteriorly, supranasal dorsally, anterior loreal posteriorly, first supralabial ventrally; nostril in center of nasal; anterior loreal marginally taller (0.6 mm) than wide (0.5 mm); posterior loreal slightly larger than anterior loreal and slightly wider (1.0 mm) than tall (0.7 mm); a single small supra-preocular, an upper and lower preocular, and a single sub-preocular present on either side (Fig. 12E). Eye small (ED/ HL 0.21) with round pupil; lower eyelid with enlarged, transparent central window; seven supraciliaries on either side, anterior supraciliary largest, bordered by prefrontal anteriorly, first supraocular dorsally, and pre-supraocular, upper preocular and posterior loreal laterally; posterior superciliary elongate and projecting dorsomedially, bordered by fourth supraocular dorsally, post-supraocular posteriorly, and first post-subocular laterally; four post-suboculars on either side; a single primary temporal, two secondary temporals, and three tertiary temporals on either side; seven supralabials, fifth below eye, elongate and in broad contact with four small scales on lower eyelid below eye on either side; a single post-supralabial on either side; six infralabials on either side; two scales separating post-supralabial and external ear opening; external ear opening small (EL/HL 0.07), oval, bearing a single anterior lobule on either side; tympanum deep (Fig. 12E). Mental twice as wide (1.8 mm) as long (0.9 mm); a single large postmental in contact with first and second infralabials on either side; three enlarged pairs of chin shields posterior to postmental; anterior pair large (1.6 mm), roughly rectangular, in medial contact with each other below postmental and bordered by second and third infralabials, middle pair of chin shields, and by a single median gular scale on either side; middle pair largest (1.8 mm), roughly rectangular, separated from each other by two longitudinally arranged gular scales, bordered by third and fourth infralabials, posterior pair of chin shields, and three gular scales on either side; posterior pair smallest (0.9 mm), roughly square, separated from each other by five transversely arranged gular scales, bordered by fourth and fifth infralabials and three gular scales on either side; rest of the gular scales much smaller than postmentals, cycloid and imbricate, two or three rows bordering infralabials slightly smaller and elongate (Fig. 12D).

Figure 12. 

Dravidoseps goaensis comb. nov. (neotype, BNHS 2567): A dorsal view of body, B ventral view of body, C dorsal view of head, D ventral view of head, E lateral right side view of head, F ventral view of right manus, and G ventral view of right pes. Scale bars: A, B = 10 mm; C–E, G = 5 mm; F = 3 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Body relatively slender (BW/AGL 0.14), elongate (AGL/SVL = 0.62); dorsal scales on body smooth, cycloid, imbricate; ventrals similar to dorsals except subequal from chest to vent, marginally larger on pectoral and precloacal region; 64 scales in paravertebral rows; 30 scales around mid-body; 66 ventral scales; eight enlarged precloacal scales (Fig. 12A, B). Limbs, robust, short (FL/SVL = 0.05; CL/SVL = 0.07), widely separated when adpressed; dorsal scales slight larger than ventral scales; palmar scales raised; plantar scales large, raised, coarse granules; all digits short, scales on dorsal surfaces in single row, subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth; lamellae series: 5-8-10-10-7 left manus, 6-9-12-13-9 left pes, 5-7-9-10-7 right manus (Fig. 12F), 5-10-11-13-10 right pes (Fig. 12G). Relative length of digits (measurements in mm in parentheses): IV (2.1) > III (2.0) > V (1.6) > II (1.5) > I (1.0) (left manus); IV (4.8) > III (3.2) > V (2.4) > II (2.1) > I (1.1) (left pes).

Tail original, entire, cylindrical, marginally shorter than snout-vent length (TL/SVL 0.94); damaged at three places at its length; dorsal and ventral scales on tail cycloid, imbricate, similar to those on body dorsum except for posterior 1/3^rd on which median dorsal and subcaudal scale rows distinctly larger than surrounding scales; tail ending in a pointed scute; scales on lateral sides of tail base keeled, tricarinate; 19 scales around the tail (Fig. 12A, B).

Dorsal ground colouration of body, head and tail coconut brown with a bronze tint; head with scattered dark markings; dorsal scales of body and tail finely outlined by dark brown, centre of scales with dark markings forming indistinct stripes; limbs darker than body dorsum and with light spots; a thick stripe with a fine black dorsolateral border running from rostrum through orbit and onto flank and tail with scattered light spots, some scales with orange; supralabials with a white streak; ventral regions glossy, off-white with scattered black markings.

Mensural and meristic data for the topotypic and additional specimens are given in Table 6. There are three subadults, two adult males and a single adult female. All specimens resemble the neotype female (BNHS 2567) in overall morphology and head scalation except for the following variation: six SC on left and seven on right side in ZSI-R-28612; PoO absent on left side in NRC-AA-1303; NRC-AA-1302 and NRC-AA-1303 with entire and original tail, tail marginally longer than body (TL/SVL = 1.09 and 1.11 respectively); NRC-AA-1304 with entire but regenerated tail, much shorter than body (TL/SVL = 0.59); remaining three specimens with tail either completely or partially broken and missing. ZSI-R-28612 with partial everted hemipenis on either side.

Apart from the type locality (“ca. 5 kms NE of Forest Rest House, Molem [Goa]; Sharma, 1976), Dravidoseps goaensis comb. nov. has been recorded by us from Ustam and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, South Goa District in Goa State (< 25 km south of the type locality) and from Amboli in Sindhudurg District, four localities (Dajipur, Talaye, Padivare, and Washi) Kolhapur District of Maharashtra State, India; all from the northern Western Ghats. The farthest two reported localities (Washi in north and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in south) are ~140 km apart from each other in aerial distance.

The four localities we recorded the species from are at elevations of 150–820 m and habitats vary from moist deciduous to semi evergreen and evergreen forest (Fig. 11B). At Ustam in South Goa, a single subadult was spotted moving in leaf-litter in the early afternoon (1240 hr) inside a private property; a single individual (not collected) was also observed moving in the leaf-litter in the afternoon (1400 hr) on outskirts of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), South Goa. At Amboli, both individuals were spotted moving in leaf-litter in the morning to afternoon (0930–1300 hrs). We recorded this species from multiple localities in similar habitats at Amboli. At other four localities (Dajipur, Talaye, Padivare, and Washi) in Kolhapur District, individuals were seen moving in the leaf-litter and also found in soil or under rocks during the day time. Sympatric lizards recorded at these localities were Cnemaspis goaensis Sharma (Ustam and Mhadei WLS); Cn. amboliensis Sayyed, Pyron & Dileepkumar, (Amboli); Cn. flaviventralis Sayyed, Pyron & Dahanukar (Ustam, Mhadei WLS, and Amboli); Cn. limayei Sayyed, Pyron & Dileepkumar (Dajipur and Talaye); Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) albofasciatus (Boulenger) (Ustam, Mhadei wls, Amboli); Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) deccanensis (Günther) (Dajipur, Talaye, Pandivare, and Washi); Hemidactylus frenatus; Eutropis carinata; E. macularia; E. cf. allapallensis (Ustam and Mhadei WLS); Riopa guentheri (Peters); Calotes versicolor; and Monilesaurus rouxii (Duméril & Bibron).

Viviparous, four embryos in early stages of development in holotype, ZSI 22032 (Fig. 8A).

Article 75.3.6 of The Code (Anonymous 1999) states that a neotype should be “nearly as practicable from the original type locality”, however we chose a non-topotypic, adult female as the neotype as the single specimen from closest to the type locality is a subadult, and these were shown to belong to the same lineage genetically. Our neotype and other specimens match the original description provided by Sharma (1976) except for the following mensural and meristic characters: IO (2.6–3.5 mm versus 5 mm in original description); BW (5.6–8.2 mm versus 20 mm in original description); Elo (one or two on either side versus five). We could not verify the counts as the type specimens are lost (Pratyush Mohapatra pers. comm.). The measurements of IO and BW in original description are likely to be incorrect as none of the species in the genus have such high numbers, and the number of Elo most likely include left and right combined.

Subdoluseps nilgiriensis – Ganesh et al. (2021)

BNHS 2642, unsexed adult, Anaikatti hills (11.110°N, 76.769°E; 600 m asl.) Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu State, India, collected by Avrajjal Ghosh, SR Ganesh and NS Achyuthan on September 2019.

BNHS 2643 and BNHS 2644, unsexed adults, same collection information as the holotype.

NRC-AA-1295 (AK R 1854), adult male from near Mangalamkombu (10.31831°N, 77.65654°E; elevation ca. 1400 m asl.) and NRC-AA-1296 (AK-R 1877), adult male from near Mangalamkombu (10.303667°N, 77.640251°E; elevation ca. 1400 m asl.), Palani Hills, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Ishan Agarwal, Swapnil Pawar and team on 13^th May 2022; NRC-AA-1297 (AK-R 2022), NRC-AA-1298 (AK-R 2023), subadults, from Aliyar Reserve Forest (10.48438°N, 76.92303°E; elevation ca. 400 m asl.), Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, Coimbatore District, same collectors as above except collected on 20^th May 2022; NRC-AA-1299 (AK-R 2080), adult female, NRC-AA-1300 (AK-R 2081), subadult, from near Kattanchi view point (11.19985°N, 76.90867°E; elevation ca. 520 m asl.), close to Mettupalayam, Coimbatore District, same collectors as above except collected on 23^th May 2022; NRC-AA-1301 (AK-R 2172), subadult, from Thamarakarai Forest Guesthouse campus (11.76779°N, 77.55715°E; elevation ca. 1000 m asl.), Erode District, same collectors as above except collected on 26^th May 2022; BNHS 2559 (AK-R 2539), BNHS 2561 (AK-R 2541), adult females, BNHS 2560 (AK-R 2540), adult male, from near Kutladampatti Falls (10.12995°N, 78.01784°E; elevation ca. 280 m asl.), and BNHS 2562 (AK-R 2542), BNHS 2563 (AK-R 2543), subadults, from near Viralipatti (10.11638°N, 77.98282°E; elevation ca. 240 m asl.), Sirumalai Hills, Madurai District, same collectors as above except collected on 29^th September 2022; BNHS 2564 (AK-R 2585), BNHS 2565 (AK-R 2586), ZSI-R-28603 (AK-R 2587), adult females, from Karanthamalai Hills (10.33737°N, 78.15939°E; elevation ca. 420 m asl.), Dindigul District, same collectors as above except collected on 3^rd October 2022; ZSI-R-28604 (AK-R 2667), ZSI-R-28605 (AK-R 2668), adult males, ZSI-R-28606 (AK-R 2669), subadult, from Perunguntru trekking route (10.43080°N, 76.88132°E; elevation ca. 900 m asl.), and ZSI-R-28607 (AK-R 2671), ZSI-R-28608 (AK-R 2672), ZSI-R-28609 (AK-R 2673) subadults, from near Varagaliyar elephant camp (10.41913°N, 76.86747°E; elevation ca. 620 m asl.), Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, Coimbatore District, same collectors as above except collected on 9^rd October 2022; ZSI-R-28694 (AK-R 2726), subadult, from Selur Reserve Forest, Kolli Hills (11.19463°N, 78.37537°E; elevation ca. 390 m asl.), Namakkal District, same collection data as above except on 12th October 2022.

AK-R-2173, same collection data as NRC-AA-1301 (AK-R 2172).

Named for its type locality, the Nilgiri Hills.

Nilgiri leaf-litter skink.

A medium-sized skink snout to vent length up to 58 mm (n = 22). Seven supralabials and six (rarely seven, n = 4/22) infralabials up to angle of mouth; fifth supralabial elongate and below eye; two post-supralabials; seven or eight supraciliaries (rarely nine on one side, n = 1/19); a single slightly elongated nuchal on either side (rarely two on one side, n = 1/22), in contact with each other behind parietal (rarely separated by a single scale, n = 5/22); 62–70 scales in paravertebral rows; 26–30 scales around mid-body; 61–71 ventral scales; 8–10 enlarged precloacal scales; scales on lateral sides of tail base smooth, 19–21 scales around the tail. Subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth on manus and smooth to weakly keeled on pes; five or six lamellae under digit I of manus (rarely four and seven, n = 1/22), and 5–7 under digit I of pes; 9–11 lamellae under digit IV of manus (rarely 12, n = 1/22); and 13–15 under digit IV of pes (rarely 16, n = 1/22). Dorsum brown with black markings; thick black stripe from rostrum to tail speckled with light spots, males with yellow on lower parts of forebody and flanks extending onto belly; supralabials with white streak; venter glossy grey-white with some darker markings.

Dravidoseps nilgiriensis comb. nov. can be diagnosed from known congeners based on the following characters: 28.1 ± 0.86 (26–30) RBS (versus 30.0 ± 0.00 (30) in D. pruthi comb. nov., and 29.0 ± 1.00 (28–30 in D. goaensis comb. nov.); an average of 14.4 ± 0.76 (13–16) (versus 16.1 ± 1.20 (14–18) Lam4T in D. pruthi comb. nov., and 13.4 ± 0.79 (13–15) in D. goaensis comb. nov.); two PoSL on each side (versus a single PoSL on each side in D. pruthi comb. nov.); a single NU on either side and Sb NU either absent or rarely only a single present (versus a single Nu on either side and two or three Sb Nu present in D. pruthi comb. nov.); unkeeled scales on tail base (versus keeled scales on tail base in D. goaensis comb. nov.). Dravidoseps nilgiriensis comb. nov. is diagnosed against the new species described below as part of their respective descriptions.

Dravidoseps nilgiriensis comb. nov. is the most widely distributed member of the genus, known from the Western Ghats (north and south of Palghat gap) and hills outside the Western Ghats, between an elevation range of 200–1400 m asl.; in Tamil Nadu State, India (Fig. 1). In the Western Ghats, the species is known from Anaikatti (type locality) and Mettupalayam in the Nilgiri, multiple localities in Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, and Palani Hills; and outside the Western Ghats, from Thamarakarai, Kolli Hills, Sirumalai Hills, and two localities north of Sirumalai. The aerial distance between two farthest localities is > 185 km north-west (from Thamarakarai to Sirumalai Hills) and > 180 km east-west (from Anaimalai Tiger Reserve to Kolli Hills).

At Palani Hills, individuals were collected/ observed sheltering under rocks in the afternoon (1230–1330 hrs) in a small open patch surrounded by wet evergreen forest at high elevation (1400 m asl.). Sympatric lizards recorded were Cnemaspis cf. palanica, Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) cf. collegalensis, Dravidogecko sp., Eutropis cf. carinata, Kaestlea sp. Riopa albopunctata, Ristella sp., and Monilesaurus cf. rouxii. At Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, the species was observed in a relatively open area surrounded by evergreen forest located along the Perunguntru trekking route, near Varagaliyar Elephant Camp, and also in moist deciduous to semievergreen forest at Aliyar Reserve Forest. Specimens were observed either buried in loose soil under rocks or moving in the leaf-litter during morning hours (0930–1200 hrs). Sympatric lizards recorded were Cnemaspis cf. monticola, Cn. cf. littoralis, Eutropis carinata, E. macularia, Ristella sp., Sphenomorphus dussumieri (Duméril & Bibron), Calotes calotes (Linnaeus), and Monilesaurus cf. rouxii. Near Mettupalayam, individuals were found under rocks in the morning (0930 hr) in thorny dry deciduous forests dominated by granite sheet rocks. Other sympatric skinks were Eutropis bibronii (Gray), and Riopa albopunctata. At Thamarakarai, a single juvenile was collected from under a rock in the forest guest house campus surrounded by deciduous forests (Fig. 11C). At Sirumalai Hills, Karanthamalai Hills and Kolli Hills, individuals were found under rocks or in leaf-litter during morning hours (0830–1100 hrs) in dry deciduous forest patches. Sympatric lizards recorded were Cnemaspis cf. gracilis, Eutropis carinata, E. macularia, Riopa albopunctata, Calotes versicolor, and Psammophilus cf. blanfordanus.

Unknown. No gravid female in the additional material examined (non-gravid females dissected: NRC-AA-1299, BNHS 2559, BNHS 2561, BNHS 2564, BNHS 2565 ranging in SVL from 42.7–52.6 mm).

We examined the type series (holotype and two paratypes) of this species housed at BNHS and found discrepancies in some mensural (SVL, TL, AGL, CL, HL, EE) and meristic (PVS, RBS, VS) characters provided in the original description by Ganesh et al. (2021) and our data (Table 7). Additionally, the original description has two different SVL values for the holotype in the holotype description (63.23 mm) and ‘table 4 (67.23 mm)’ (Ganesh et al. 2021) versus our measurement of 57.1 mm.

Lygosoma pruthi – Ganesh et al. (2018)

NRC-AA-8273 (AK-R 147), adult female, from Pakkamalai Reserve Forest (12.17224°N, 79.31907°E; elevation ca. 400 m asl.), Gingee Hills, Viluppuram District, Tamil Nadu State, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Swapnil Pawar and team, on 3^rd April 2021.

BNHS 2568 (AK-R 192), adult female, from near Arulmigu Sri Pachaiamman Temple, Vedal (12.37095°N, 79.47239°E; elevation ca. 140 m asl.), Tiruvannamalai

District, Tamil Nadu State, India, same data as holotype except collected on 4^th April 2021.

The specific epithet is a toponym for the Gingee Hills in Villupuram District of Tamil Nadu State, the type locality of the new species.

Gingee leaf-litter skink.

A medium-sized skink snout to vent length up to 57 mm (n = 2). Seven supralabials and six or seven infralabials up to angle of mouth; fifth supralabial elongate and below eye; two post-supralabials; eight supraciliaries; a single slightly elongated nuchal on either side, separated by three scales behind parietal; 66 or 67 scales in paravertebral rows; 30–32 scales around mid-body; 67 ventral scales; 12 enlarged precloacal scales; scales on lateral sides of tail base smooth, 21 scales around the tail. Subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth on manus and smooth to weakly keeled on pes; five or six lamellae under digit I of manus and six under digit I of pes; 11 or 12 lamellae under digit IV of manus and, 17 under digit IV of pes. Dorsum light brown with black markings; thick black stripe from rostrum to tail speckled with light spots; supralabials with white streak; venter glossy grey-white with some darker markings.

Dravidoseps gingeeensis sp. nov. can be diagnosed from known congeners based on the following characters: 12.0 ± 0.00 (12) SPCLR (versus 9.2 ± 0.60 (8–10) in D. nilgiriensis comb. nov., 10.0 ± 0.00 (10) in D. pruthi comb. nov., and 8.3 ± 0.76 (8–10) in D. goaensis comb. nov.); 17.0 ± 0.00 (17) LAM4T (versus 14.4± 0.76 (13–16) in D. nilgiriensis comb. nov., 16.1 ± 1.20 (14–18) in D. pruthi comb. nov., and 13.4 ± 0.79 (13–15) in D. goaensis comb. nov.); a single Nu on either side and three Sb Nu (versus a single NU on either side and Sb NU either absent or one or two presents in D. goaensis comb. nov., and a single NU on either side and Sb NU either absent or rarely only a single present in D. nilgiriensis comb. nov.); presence of unkeeled scales on tail base (versus keeled scales on tail base in D. goaensis comb. nov.); 21 RTS (versus 18 or 19 RTS in D. goaensis comb. nov.). Dravidoseps gingeeensis sp. nov. is diagnosed against the new species described below as part of their respective descriptions.

Adult female (SVL 56.6 mm) in good state of preservation except head and tail tip slightly bent towards left side, and a 3.6 mm long incision at sternum region for liver tissue collection (Fig. 13A, B), and 15.5 mm long ventral incision at mid-body (made after taking morphological data and photos) to confirm eggs/developing embryos. Head short (HL/SVL 0.15), wide (HW/HL 0.72), not strongly depressed (HH/HL 0.58), indistinct from neck. Loreal region not inflated, canthus rostralis indistinct. Snout almost half head length (ES/HL 0.43), marginally more than twice eye diameter (ES/ED 2.03). Rostral twice as wide (1.8 mm) as long (0.9 mm), frontonasal much wider (1.9 mm) than long (1.3 mm), in contact with supranasals anteriorly, prefrontals and frontal posteriorly, anterior loreals laterally; prefrontals relatively small, widely separated on midline, in contact anteriorly with frontonasal, posteriorly with frontal, first supraocular and first supraciliary, anterior and laterally with posterior loreals. Frontal elongate, roughly bell-shaped, widest anteriorly at the point where prefrontals and first supraciliary connect; in contact with frontonasal anteriorly, frontoparietals posteriorly, prefrontals and first two supraoculars on either side; four supraoculars and one small post-supraocular and postocular on either side; frontoparietals in medial contact posterior to frontal, in contact with second, third, and fourth supraoculars anterolaterally and parietals and interparietal posteriorly. Interparietal large, roughly diamond-shaped, slightly projecting posteriorly, eyespot in posterior projection; postinterparietal absent; parietals large, in medial contact posterior to interparietal, in contact with frontoparietals, fourth supraocular, and post-supraocular anteriorly, two nuchal scales and three dorsal scales posteriorly, first secondary temporal laterally; a single enlarged nuchal scale on either side separated from each other by three dorsal scales (Fig. 13C). Nasals small, trapezoidal, widely separated, in contact with rostral anteriorly, supranasal dorsally, anterior loreal posteriorly, first supralabial ventrally; nostril in center of nasal; anterior loreal marginally taller (0.7 mm) than wide (0.6 mm); posterior loreal slightly larger than anterior loreal and slightly wider (1.0 mm) than tall (0.7 mm); a single small supra-preocular, an upper and lower preocular, and a single sub-preocular present only on right side (Fig. 13E). Eye small (ED/ HL 0.21) with round pupil; lower eyelid with enlarged, transparent central window; eight supraciliaries on either side, anterior supraciliary largest, bordered by prefrontal anteriorly, first supraocular dorsally, and pre-supraocular, upper preocular and posterior loreal laterally; posterior superciliary elongate and projecting dorsomedially, bordered by fourth supraocular dorsally, post-supraocular posteriorly, and first post-subocular laterally; four post-suboculars on either side; a single primary temporal, two secondary temporals, and three tertiary temporals on either side; seven supralabials, fifth and sixth below eye; fifth supralabial elongate, in broad contact with pre-subocular and six small scales on lower eyelid below eye on either side; two post-supralabials on either side; six infralabials on either side; two scales separating post-supralabial and external ear opening; external ear opening small (EL/HL 0.07), oval, bearing two anterior lobules on either side; tympanum deep (Fig. 13E). Mental twice as wide (2.0 mm) as long (1.0 mm); a single large postmental in contact with first and second infralabials on either side; three enlarged pairs of chin shields posterior to postmental; anterior pair large (1.6 mm), roughly rectangular, in medial contact with each other below postmental and bordered by second and third infralabials, middle pair of chin shields, and by a single median gular scale on either side; middle pair largest (1.8 mm), roughly rectangular, separated from each other by two longitudinally arranged gular scales, bordered by third and fourth infralabials, posterior pair of chin shields, and four gular scales on either side; posterior pair smallest (1.0 mm), roughly square, separated from each other by five transversely arranged gular scales, bordered by fourth and fifth infralabials and three gular scales on either side; rest of the gular scales much smaller than postmentals, cycloid and imbricate, two or three rows bordering infralabials slightly smaller and elongate (Fig. 13D).

Figure 13. 

Dravidoseps gingeeensis sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-8273): A dorsal view of body, B ventral view of body, C dorsal view of head, D ventral view of head, E lateral right side view of head, F ventral view of left manus, and G ventral view of left pes. Scale bars: A, B = 10 mm; C–E, G = 5 mm; F = 3 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar.

Body relatively slender (BW/AGL 0.27), elongate (AGL/SVL = 0.58); dorsal scales on body smooth, cycloid, imbricate; ventrals similar to dorsals except subequal from chest to vent, marginally larger on pectoral and precloacal region; 67 scales in paravertebral rows; 32 scales around mid-body; 67 ventral scales; 12 enlarged precloacal scales (Fig. 13A, B). Limbs, robust, short (FL/SVL = 0.06; CL/SVL = 0.08), widely separated when adpressed; dorsal scales wider and slightly larger than ventral scales; palmar scales raised; plantar scales large, raised, coarse granules; all digits short, scales on dorsal surfaces in single row, subdigital lamellae unpaired, smooth on manus and smooth to weakly keeled on pes; lamellae series: 6-10-10-11-7 left manus (Fig. 13F), 6-10-14-17-13 left pes (Fig. 13G), 6-10-9-11-7 right manus, 6-11-15-17-13 right pes. Relative length of digits (measurements in mm in parentheses): IV (2.4) > III (2.3) > II (1.9) > V (1.7) > I (1.1) (left manus); IV (4.5) > III (3.7) > V (2.8) > II (2.5) > I (1.3) (left pes).

Tail half original half regenerated, cylindrical, slightly shorter than snout-vent length (TL/SVL 0.88); dorsal and ventral scales on original tail cycloid, imbricate, similar to those on body dorsum; scales on lateral sides of tail base smooth, 21 scales around the tail; dorsal and ventral scales on regenerated tail similar to those on original tail except for median dorsal and subcaudal scale rows distinctly rectangular and larger than surrounding scales (Fig. 13A, B).

Dorsal ground colouration of body, head and tail light brown with a bronze tint; head with scattered dark markings; dorsal scales of body and tail finely outlined by dark brown, centre of some scales with dark markings forming indistinct stripes; limbs darker than body dorsum and with light spots; a thick dark brown stripe running from rostrum through orbit and onto flank and tail with scattered light spots; supralabials with a white streak; ventral regions glossy, off-white with scattered black and grey markings.

Mensural and meristic data for the adult (SVL 53.6 mm) female paratype (BNHS 2568) are given in Table 8. It resemble the holotype female (NRC-AA-8273) in overall morphology, head scalation, and colouration except for the following variation: a single PrSbO on either side; three PoSbO on either side; and more than half of its tail is detached and missing.

Dravidoseps gingeeensis sp. nov. is known from its type locality (Pakkamalai Reserve Forest in Viluppuram District; 400 m asl.) and paratype locality (Arulmigu Sri Pachaiamman Temple, near Vedal, Tiruvannamalai District; 140 m asl.), both in north-eastern Tamil Nadu, < 30 km apart from each other in aerial distance (Fig. 1). Both localities have sparse, dry tropical evergreen forests dominated by granite boulders (Fig. 8D). Dravidoseps gingeeensis sp. nov. was encountered during a single day of fieldwork at each locality. At Pakkamalai, the female holotype was collected from under a rock in leaf-litter inside a forested patch during the day (1130 hrs). At Vedal, the female paratype was observed feeding on cockroach in the morning (0915 hrs) in dry leaf-litter among granite boulders. Sympatric species at both localities recorded were Calodactylodes aureus (Beddome), Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron; Hemidactylus pakkamalaiensis Narayanan et al., 2023, Hemidactylus whitakeri, Eutropis carinata, and Psammophilus dorsalis.

Viviparous, litter size four (two pairs of embryos in early stages of development in holotype NRC-AA-8273 (Fig. 8B).