Research Article |
Corresponding author: Ishan Agarwal ( ishan.agarwal@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Uwe Fritz
© 2022 Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray, Ishan Agarwal.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Khandekar A, Thackeray T, Agarwal I (2022) Three new cryptic species of South Asian Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Karnataka, India. Vertebrate Zoology 72: 115-142. https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.72.e76308
|
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.
Cnemaspis stellapulvis, dwarf geckos, granite boulders, Mysore plateau, systematics, taxonomy, Western Ghats
South Asian Cnemaspis (SAC) is an exceptionally diverse radiation of geckos that originated in the Western Ghats with species distributed in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Sumatra and associated islands off its west coast (
During surveys of an ongoing project on the systematics and taxonomy of peninsular Indian geckos, we collected small-bodied Cnemaspis specimens from multiple localities in Karnataka state. Molecular and preliminary morphological analysis revealed that material collected from Kaiwara in Chickballapur district of Karnataka represents an undescribed species that falls within the mysoriensis clade. Similarly, specimens collected from near Sakleshpur in Hassan District and Coorg in Kodagu district of Karnataka, respectively, belong to the goaensis clade and represent two more undescribed species. These three undescribed species are morphologically diagnosable from previously known members of their respective clades and in this paper, we describe them as three new species based on detailed morphology and ND2 mitochondrial sequence data. We also provide a key to the goaensis and mysoriensis clades.
Specimen sampling, processing and tissue collections of the new species were done following
Map showing our sampling for members of the goaensis (squares) and mysoriensis (triangles) clades. Squares, goaensis clade: light blue (C. amboliensis), dark blue (C. goaensis), pink (C. ranganaensis), peach (C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov.), green (C. vijayae sp. nov.). Triangles, mysoriensis clade, light blue (C. mysoriensis), dark blue (C. avasabinae), pink (C. otai), brown (C. yercaudensis), green (C. rishivalleyensis), red (C. stellapulvis), yellow (C. tigris sp. nov.).
Morphological data were collected from a total of 13 specimens of the new species. Comparative morphological data of all other members of the mysoriensis clade were obtained from
Total genomic DNA was extracted from tail or liver samples stored in 100 % ethanol using the Qiagen DNeasy Blood & Tissue kit. PCR and sequencing were outsourced to Medauxin (Bangalore, India) and used the
List of Cnemaspis sequences used in this study. Museum abbreviations are as follows: AA, Rohan Pethiyagoda field series; AMB, Aaron M. Bauer field series; AK, Akshay Khandekar field series;
Species | Voucher | Locality | GeneBank Accession number |
---|---|---|---|
C. adii |
|
India, Karnataka, Ballari District, Hampi | MT188142 |
C. agarwali | AK 107 | India, Tamil Nadu, Salem District, Sankari | MK792466 |
C. amboliensis | VG 393 | India, Maharashtra, Sindhudurg District, Amboli | MK792480 |
C. amboliensis | VG 394 | India, Maharashtra, Sindhudurg District, Amboli | MK792481 |
C. cf. assamensis |
|
India, Meghalaya, Ri Bhoi District, Saiden | MW3674 |
C. avasabinae | CES G416 | India, Andhra Pradesh, Nellore District, Penchalakona | MT773207 |
C. bangara |
|
India, Karnataka, Kolar District, Paparajanahalli | MT188143 |
C. flaviventralis | VG 354 | India, Maharashtra, Sindhudurg District, Amboli | MK792495 |
C. gemunu | AMB 7495 | Sri Lanka, Nuwara Eliya District, Hakgala | KY037998 |
C. goaensis | VG 385 | India, Karnataka, Uttara Kannada District, Gund | MK792475 |
C. goaensis | VG 388 | India, Karnataka, Uttara Kannada District, Ganeshgudi | MK792476 |
C. goaensis | VG 399 | India, Maharashtra, Sangli District, KWC Campus | MK792478 |
C. goaensis | AK 360 | India, Goa, South Goa District, Canacona | MK792479 |
C. gracilis | CES G385 | India, Kerala, Palakkad District, near Chittur River | MK792465 |
C. graniticola |
|
India, Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor District, Horsley hills | MT188145 |
C. kallima | AA 82 | Sri Lanka, Matale District, Rattota, Gammaduwa | KY037970 |
C. kolhapurensis | unvouchered | India, Maharashtra, Kolhapur District, Dajipur | MK792501 |
C. koynaensis | CES G349 | India, Maharashtra, Satara District, Humbarli | MK792490 |
C. magnifica | unvouchered | India, Karnataka, Hassan District, Sakleshpur | MK792503 |
C. monticola | NRC-AA-1112 (AK 942) | India, Kerala, Wayanad District, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation | MW580955 |
C. monticola | NRC-AA-1115 (AK 943) | India, Kerala, Wayanad District, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation | MW580956 |
C. monticola | NRC-AA-1113 (AK 944) | India, Kerala, Wayanad District, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation | MW580957 |
C. monticola |
|
India, Kerala, Wayanad District, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation | MW580958 |
C. mysoriensis | unvouchered | India, Karnataka, Bangalore Urban District, IISc Campus | MK792474 |
C. mysoriensis | AK 570 | India, Karnataka, Bangalore Urban District, NCBS Campus | MT773208 |
C. mysoriensis | AK 676 | India, Karnataka, Mysore District, Hunsur | MT773209 |
C. mysoriensis | AK 851 | India, Karnataka, Kolar District, Kolar | MT773210 |
C. mysoriensis | AK 852 | India, Karnataka, Kolar District, Kolar | MT773211 |
C. mysoriensis | AK 979 | India, Karnataka, Bangalore Rural District, near Thathaguni | MT773212 |
C. otai | AK668 | India, Tamil Nadu, Vellore district, Vellore Fort | MT188146 |
C. otai | AK823 | India, Tamil Nadu, Vellore district, Jawadhu Hills | MT773213 |
C. otai | AK935 | India, Tamil Nadu, Vellore district, Jawadhu Hills | MT773214 |
C. punctata | AA 80 | Sri Lanka, Matale District, Rattota, Gammaduwa | KY038007 |
C. ranganaensis | AK R 788 | India, Maharashtra, Kolhapur, Rangana Fort | OM160946 |
C. rishivalleyensis | AK 659 | India, Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor district, Rishi Valley School | MT773218 |
C. rishivalleyensis | AK 660 | India, Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor district, Rishi Valley School | MT773219 |
C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov. |
AK 862 ( |
India, Karnataka, Hassan District, Sakleshpur | OK424588 |
C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov. | AK 864 (NRC-AA-1165) | India, Karnataka, Hassan District, Sakleshpur | OK424589 |
C. schalleri |
|
India, Karnataka, Hassan District, Mookanana resort | MW580959 |
C. schalleri | NRC-AA-1116 (AK 872) | India, Karnataka, Hassan District, Mookanana resort | MW580960 |
C. cf. schalleri | SB 048 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Kumarahalli | KY037995 |
C. cf. schalleri | AK R 829 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160937 |
C. cf. schalleri | AK R 830 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160938 |
C. cf. schalleri | AK R 831 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160939 |
C. cf. schalleri | AK R 832 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160940 |
C. cf. schalleri | AK R 833 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160941 |
C. cf. schalleri | AK R 834 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160942 |
C. cf. schalleri | AK R 835 | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160943 |
C. stellapulvis | AK 846 | India, Karnataka, Mandya District, Yadiyur | MT773215 |
C. stellapulvis | AK 847 | India, Karnataka, Mandya District, Yadiyur | MT773216 |
C. thayawthadangyi |
|
Myanmar, Tanintharyi Region, Myeik Archipelago, southeast side of Linn Lune Kyun | MN104950 |
C. tigris sp. nov. | AK 884 (NRC-AA-1160) | India, Karnataka, Chickballapur, Kaiwara | OK424590 |
C. tigris sp. nov. | AK 885 (NRC-AA-1159) | India, Karnataka, Chickballapur, Kaiwara | OK424591 |
C. vijayae sp. nov. |
AK 599 ( |
India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OK424592 |
C. vijayae sp. nov. | AK R 836 (NRC-AA-1185) | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160944 |
C. vijayae sp. nov. | AK R 839 (NRC-AA-1188) | India, Karnataka, Kodagu District, Honey Valley Estate | OM160945 |
C. yercaudensis | CES G133 | India, Tamil Nadu, Namakkal District, Kollimalai massif | MK792473 |
C. yercaudensis | AK 767 | India, Tamil Nadu, Salem District, Yercaud massif | MT773217 |
C. sp. | SB 151 | India, Kerala, Thrissur District, Athirappilly Falls | KY038013 |
Pairwise uncorrected ND2 sequence divergence within the mysoriensis clade and the goaensis clade, numbers in bold along diagonal represent intraspecific genetic diversity (– indicates only a single sequence available).
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | ||
1 | avasabinae | – | |||||||||||
2 | mysoriensis | 19.9 | 0.6 | ||||||||||
3 | otai | 8.3 | 19.7 | 0.8 | |||||||||
4 | rishivalleyensis | 5.6 | 21.3 | 8.3 | 0.0 | ||||||||
5 | stellapulvis | 15.9 | 21.3 | 15.2 | 15.8 | 0.0 | |||||||
6 | tigris sp. nov. | 15.6 | 23.4 | 16.5 | 17.2 | 12.1 | 0.1 | ||||||
7 | yercaudensis | 17.9 | 22.7 | 18.3 | 18.4 | 13.4 | 14.5 | 2.4 | |||||
8 | amboliensis | 21.1 | 23.0 | 20.1 | 21.4 | 20.4 | 23.2 | 21.6 | 0.6 | ||||
9 | goaensis | 21.0 | 23.6 | 21.4 | 21.6 | 21.8 | 22.9 | 22.6 | 12.5 | 0.9 | |||
10 | ranganaensis | 23.4 | 24.0 | 21.8 | 23.9 | 25.7 | 25.0 | 25.3 | 13.2 | 8.8 | – | ||
11 | sakleshpurensis sp. nov. | 22.1 | 24.1 | 21.6 | 23.0 | 22.8 | 24.0 | 23.2 | 13.7 | 5.2 | 9.3 | 0.6 | |
12 | vijayae sp. nov. | 21.0 | 24.8 | 20.9 | 23.1 | 22.8 | 23.4 | 23.1 | 13.8 | 13.6 | 14.8 | 14.6 | 1.1 |
ND2 sequences of the new species varied from 472–1047 aligned nucleotides, with a nine base pair insertion in C. tigris sp. nov. at position 455. We recovered the same broad clades for SAC as
NRC-AA-1159 (AK 885), adult male, from near Kaiwara (13.3469°N, 77.9881°E; elevation ca. 910 m), Chickballapur district, Karnataka state, India, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Swapnil Pawar and Vaibhav Patil, on 7th June 2019.
NRC-AA-1160 (AK 884),
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.
Tiger dwarf gecko or Kaiwara dwarf gecko.
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.
Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other six members of the mysoriensis clade on the basis of the following differing or non-overlapping characters: males with two femoral pores on each thigh, separated on either side by 6–9 poreless scales from two (rarely three) continuous precloacal pores (versus femoral pores absent, continuous series of 2–5 precloacal pores in C. avasabinae; three femoral pores on each thigh, separated by nine or ten poreless scales from continuous series of four precloacal pores in C. otai; a single femoral pore on each thigh, separated by ten poreless scales from continuous series of three precloacal pores in C. rishivalleyensis; three femoral pores on each thigh, separated by five or six poreless scales from two continuous precloacal pores in C. yercaudensis); six rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body (versus dorsal tubercles irregularly arranged at mid-body in C. avasabinae; 7–10 rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body in C. stellapulvis); 23–25 ventral scales across belly at mid-body (versus 17–20 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. avasabinae; 18 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. otai; 20 or 21 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. mysoriensis; 20–22 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in stellapulvis; 18–20 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. yercaudensis); spine-like tubercles present on flank (versus spine-like tubercles absent on flank in C. avasabinae); a single distinct black dorsal ocellus on mid-dorsal streak just anterior to forelimb insertions (versus distinct black dorsal ocellus absent just anterior to forelimb insertions in C. mysoriensis and C. yercaudensis); a continuous light mid-dorsal streak runs from occiput onto tail base (versus a light mid-dorsal streak formed by seven fused, elongate chain-links that runs from occiput to tail base in C. otai and C. rishivalleyensis).
Adult male in good state of preservation except head slightly bent towards right, a small portion of the regenerated tail taken for DNA extraction, and digit IV and V of manus of the right side are incomplete (Fig.
Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-1159): A dorsal view of head, B ventral view of head, C right side lateral view of head, D view of cloacal region showing femoral and precloacal pores, E ventral view of left manus, and F ventral view of left pes. Scale bars 5 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar and Satpal Gangalmale.
Body relatively slender (BW/AGL 0.46), trunk less than half of SVL (AGL/SVL 0.40) without ventrolateral folds; spine-like scales present on flank on each side. Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous; keeled, granular scales on 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 (Fig.
Scales on dorsal aspect of manus heterogenous, upper arm with scales much larger than dorsal granules, weakly keeled, imbricate; those near forelimb insertion much smaller than scales on upper arm; dorsal aspect of lower arm and elbow with scales much smaller than those on upper arm, weakly keeled, flat, roughly rounded; dorsal aspect of hand predominantly bearing large, flattened, weakly keeled, imbricate scales. Ventral aspect of upper arm with smooth, roughly rounded, subimbricate scales; scales on lower arm and wrist large, smooth, imbricate; scales on palm and sole smooth, flat and roughly circular. Scales on dorsal aspect of thigh much larger than those on dorsal granules, weakly keeled, imbricate except those near hindlimb insertion which are granular, much smaller than dorsal granules, conical. Scales on dorsal aspect of knee and shank fairly smaller than those on dorsum of thigh, subimbricate, weakly keeled; dorsal aspect of foot predominantly bearing small, flattened, strongly keeled, imbricate scales; scales on ventral aspect of thigh and shank larger than those on mid-body ventrals, smooth, subimbricate on thigh and imbricate on shank (Fig.
Fore-limbs and hind-limbs slightly long, slender (LAL/SVL 0.12); (CL/SVL 0.16); digits long, with a strong, recurved claw, distinctly inflected, distal portions laterally compressed conspicuously. Series of unpaired lamellae on basal portion of digits, separated from unpaired, narrower distal lamellae by a single large scale at the inflection; proximal lamellae series: 1-3-4-4-4 (right manus), 2-4-5-7-5 (right pes), 1-3-4-4-4 (left manus; Fig.
Tail regenerated, sub-cylindrical, relatively slender, flattened beneath, not entire, less than half of the snout-vent length (TL = 14.9) (Fig.
Dorsal ground colouration of head, body and limbs brown-grey; head heavily mottled with small grey and brown blotches. A dark preorbital streak runs from nostril to orbit, two fine dark postorbital streaks extend till temporal region; supraciliaries and labials with alternating light and dark bars radiating out of the orbital region, snout reticulated. A straw-coloured mid-dorsal streak runs from occiput to regenerated part of the tail; dark medial ocellus outlined by a few orange scales anterior to forelimb insertions, flanked on either side by brown blotch with fine black speckles; followed by five or six yellow-orange elongate blotches alternating with patches of brown scales interspersed with fewer dark scales. Flank with smaller dark and larger yellow blotches, enlarged spine-like tubercles yellow. Tail colouration of regenerated tail grey without bands. Dorsum of forelimbs with few light and dark blotches, hindlimbs with alternating dark and light bands and two strong dark horizontal streaks on the posterior of each femur, digits with distinct alternating dark and light bands. Ventral surfaces dull-white, underside of head and neck, throat yellow, fine black spots under forelimbs, minor markings on the throat and no dark markings on belly; underside of regenerated tail dull-white without any dark markings. Pupil black, iris bronze outlined by silver.
Mensural, meristic and additional character states evaluation data for the type series is given in Tables
Mensural (mm) data for the type series of the new species. Abbreviations are listed in Materials and Methods; * = tail incomplete.
Clade | mysoriensis | goaensis | ||||||
Species | C. tigris sp. nov. | C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov. | ||||||
Type | Holotype | Paratypes | Holotype | Paratypes | ||||
Specimen number | NRC-AA-1159 | NRC-AA-1160 |
|
|
|
|
NRC-AA-1164 | NRC-AA-1165 |
Sex | Male | Male | Male | Male | Female | Male | Female | Female |
SVL | 30.9 | 31.2 | 28.5 | 27 | 24.7 | 31.8 | 23.7 | 32.0 |
TL | 14.1* | 14.0 * | 2.6* | 30.7 | 28.7 | 42.2 | 7.9* | 3.4* |
TW | 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
LAL | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 2.9 | 5.1 |
CL | 5.2 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 3.6 | 5.9 |
AGL | 12.6 | 13.8 | 11.9 | 10 | 10.5 | 12.5 | 9.7 | 14.1 |
BH | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.1 |
BW | 5.8 | 6.6 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 5.2 |
HL | 7.5 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 7.6 | 5.8 | 7.7 |
HW | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.8 |
HD | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 3.0 |
ED | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.4 |
EE | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 2.5 |
ES | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 4.2 |
EN | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 3.3 |
IN | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.0 |
IO | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 1.3 |
EL | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Meristic data for the type series of the new species. Abbreviations are listed in Materials and Methods except for: L&R = Left & Right; irr.arr. = irregularly arranged; * = lamellae missing or incomplete; abs. = absent.
Clade | mysoriensis | goaensis | ||||||
Species | C. tigris sp. nov. | C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov. | ||||||
Type | Holotype | Paratypes | Holotype | Paratypes | ||||
Specimen number | NRC-AA-1159 | NRC-AA-1160 |
|
|
|
|
NRC-AA-1164 | NRC-AA-1165 |
Sex | Male | Male | Male | Male | Female | Male | Female | Female |
SL L&R | 8&8 | 10&10 | 9&9 | 9&9 | 9&9 | 8&8 | 9&9 | 7&8 |
IL L&R | 8&8 | 8&8 | 8&7 | 8&8 | 8&8 | 7&7 | 8&8 | 8&8 |
SL M L&R | 6&6 | 8&7 | 6&7 | 6&6 | 8&7 | 6&7 | 7&7 | 6&6 |
IL M L&R | 5&6 | 6&6 | 5&6 | 5&5 | 7&5 | 5&6 | 5&5 | 6&6 |
PVT | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. |
DTR | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
MVSR | 24 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 26 | 23 |
VS | 101 | 107 | 92 | 91 | 96 | 118 | 124 | 127 |
LamF1 L&R | 10&9 | 9&10 | 9&9 | 9&9 | 9&9 | 11&11 | 11&11 | 10&9 |
LamF4 L&R | 16&10* | 15&16 | 17&17 | 15&15 | 15&15 | 16&16 | 16&16 | 16&14 |
LamT1 L&R | 9&10 | 9&10 | 9&11 | 9&9 | 9&9 | 11&11 | 11&11 | 11&11 |
LamT4 L&R | 19&19 | 21&20 | 19&19 | 17&18 | 19&18 | 20&20 | 19&16 | 20&17 |
LamT5 L&R | 17&17 | 18&17 | 16&16 | 15&16 | 17&16 | 17&18 | 17&18 | 16&17 |
PP L&R | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | abs. | 2 | abs. | abs. |
SBPP | abs. | abs. | abs. | abs. | abs. | abs. | abs. | abs. |
FP L&R | 2&2 | 3&2 | 2&2 | 2&2 | abs. | 3&4 | abs. | abs. |
SB PP and FP L&R | 8&7 | 7&8 | 9&8 | 6&6 | abs. | 11&10 | abs. | abs. |
PCT L&R | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 |
Additional morphological character states evaluation for the type series of the new species Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov.. abs. = absent; / = data unavailable.
Clade | mysoriensis | goaensis | ||||||
Species | C. tigris sp. nov. | C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov. | ||||||
Type | Holotype | Paratypes | Holotype | Paratypes | ||||
Specimen number | NRC-AA-1159 | NRC-AA-1160 |
|
|
|
|
NRC-AA-1164 | NRC-AA-1165 |
Sex | Male | Male | Male | Male | Female | Male | Female | Female |
Occipital ocellus/ ocellus just behind occiput present (1) or not (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Dorsal ocellus between forelimb insertions present (1) or not (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Anterior extra-brillar fringe scales enlarged (1) or not (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Ventral scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Gular scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pectoral scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Precloacal pores continuous (1) or separated (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | abs. | 1 | abs. | abs. |
Precloacal pores elongate (1) or round (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | abs. | 0 | abs. | abs. |
femoral pores elongate (1) or round (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | abs. | 0 | abs. | abs. |
Dorsal pholidosis homogeneous (1) or heterogeneous (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dorsal tubercles keeled (1) or not keeled (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Tubercles linearly arranged (1) or more random (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Spine-like tubercles on flank present (1) or absent (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Lateral caudal furrows present (1) or absent (0) | / | 1 | / | 1 | 1 | 1 | / | / |
Sub-caudals keeled (1) or smooth (0) | / | 0 | / | 0 | 0 | abs. | abs. | abs. |
Single median row of sub-caudals keeled (1) or smooth (0) | / | 0 | / | 0 | 0 | 1 | / | / |
Caudal tubercles encircle tail (1) or not (0) | / | 1 | / | 1 | 1 | 1 | / | 1 |
Slightly enlarged median sub-caudal scale row (1) or not (0) | / | 1 | / | 1 | 1 | 1 | / | 1 |
Enlarged femoral scales present (1) or absent (0) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Subtibial scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 | Paravertebral tubercles absent | 2 |
– | Paravertebral tubercles present | 3 |
2 | Femoral pores present in males | Cnemaspis rishivalleyensis |
– | Femoral pores absent in males | Cnemaspis avasabinae |
3 | Continuous mid-dorsal streak | 4 |
– | Mid-dorsal streak made up of fused blotches | Cnemaspis otai |
4 | Medial dark ocellus anterior to forelimb insertions present | 5 |
– | Medial dark ocellus anterior to forelimb insertions absent | 6 |
5 | Six rows of dorsal tubercles, 23–25 mid ventral scale rows | Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov. |
– | 7–10 rows of dorsal tubercles, 20–22 mid ventral scale rows | Cnemaspis stellapulvis |
6 | Two femoral pores, seven or eight scales between femoral and precloacal pores | Cnemaspis mysoriensis |
– | Three femoral pores, five or six scales between femoral and precloacal pores | Cnemaspis yercaudensis |
NRC-AA-1165 (AK 864), adult female, NRC-AA-1164 (AK 863), sub-adult female, same collection data as holotype.
The specific epithet is a toponym for Sakleshpur in Hassan district of Karnataka, the place where the species is currently known from.
Sakleshpur dwarf gecko.
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.
Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov. can be morphologically distinguished from all other described members of the goaensis clade on the basis of the following differing or non-overlapping characters: male with three or four femoral pores on each thigh, separated by 10 or 11 poreless scales from continuous series of two precloacal pores (versus three or four femoral pores on each thigh, separated by seven or eight poreless scales from continuous series of three or four precloacal pores in C. amboliensis Sayyed, Pyron and Dileepkumar, 2018; two or three femoral pores, separated by eight or nine poreless scales from continuous series of three precloacal pores in C. ranganaensis); 23–26 scales across belly at mid-body (versus 19–22 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. amboliensis; 27–32 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. goaensis; 30 or 31 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. ranganaensis); 118–127 longitudinal ventral scales from mental to cloaca (versus 93–101 longitudinal ventral scales from mental to cloaca in C. ranganaensis); scales on upper arm and thigh unicarinate (versus scales on upper arm and thigh tricarinate in C. amboliensis); internasal scales absent, supranasals in strong contact with each other on snout (versus one or two internasal scales present, supranasals separated from each other by one or two internasal scales on snout in C. goaensis).
Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov. is morphologically similar to its sympatric species C. schalleri Khandekar, Thackeray and Agarwal, 2021 of monticola clade in body size, having spine-like scales on flanks and presence of both femoral and precloacal pores in males. However, the new species can be easily distinguished from C. schalleri by having eight or nine irregularly arranged rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body (versus 14–16 regularly arranged rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body), and having only a few scattered tubercles in paravertebral region on body between forelimb and hindlimb insertion (versus a regular series of 17–20 tubercles in paravertebral rows on the body between forelimb and hindlimb insertions). Comparison against C. vijayae sp. nov. is provided after its description.
Adult male in good state of preservation except body slightly bent towards left and tail tip towards left, and a 3.7 mm long incision in the sternal region for liver tissue collection (Fig.
Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov. (holotype,
Body slender (BW/AGL 0.42), trunk less than half of SVL (AGL/SVL 0.39) without ventrolateral folds; spine-like scales present on flank on each side. 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 each flank; upper most row strongly keeled and weakly conical, rest much enlarged, weakly keeled and spine-like; nine dorsal tubercles rows at mid-body including spine-like scales (Fig.
Scales on dorsal aspect of manus heterogenous, upper arm with scales much larger than dorsal granules, strongly keeled, imbricate; those near forelimb insertion small and granular; dorsal aspect of lower arm and elbow with scales slightly smaller than those on upper arm, strongly keeled, flat, subimbricate; dorsal aspect of hand predominantly bearing large, flattened, weakly keeled, imbricate scales. Ventral aspect of upper arm with smooth, roughly subcircular, subimbricate scales; scales on lower arm and wrist large, smooth, subimbricate; scales on palm and sole smooth, flat and subcircular, subimbricate. Scales on dorsal and anterio-lateral aspect of thigh much larger than those on dorsal granules, strongly keeled, subimbricate except those near hindlimb insertion which are granular, much smaller than dorsal granules and somewhat conical; scales on posterior-lateral aspect of thigh with scales similar in shape to granular scales on mid-body dorsum, marginally larger, becoming smaller, circular and smooth posteriorly. Scales on dorsal aspect of knee slightly smaller than those on dorsal aspect of thigh, weakly keeled; scales on shank still smaller, strongly keeled, subimbricate; dorsal aspect of foot predominantly bearing large flattened, weakly keeled, imbricate scales. Scales on ventral aspect of thigh and shank more or less similar in size to those on mid-body ventrals, smooth, imbricate (Fig.
Fore-limbs and hind-limbs slightly long, slender (LAL/SVL 0.15); (CL/SVL 0.17); digits long, with a strong, recurved claw, distinctly inflected, distal portions laterally compressed conspicuously. Series of unpaired lamellae on basal portion of digits, separated from unpaired, narrower distal lamellae by a single large scale at the inflection; proximal lamellae series: 2-4-5-4-4 (right manus), 2-4-5-7-5 (right pes), 2-4-5-4-4 (left manus; Fig.
Tail original, entire, subcylindrical, slender, longer than snout-vent length (TL/SVL 1.32; Fig.
Dorsal ground colouration of head, body, limbs and tail grey-brown; head mottled with smaller dark speckles. An indistinct fine darker vertical streak runs between the orbits; indistinct slightly darker preorbital streak runs from orbit to supranasal, two darker postorbital streaks extending onto neck; labials light yellow with indistinct darker bars; supraciliaries dirty yellow. A dark medial ocellus on occiput and another slightly smaller just anterior to forelimb insertions. A discontinuous, poorly defined light brown mid-dorsal streak extends from occiput to tail base, with yellow diffuse blotches and a few small black spots forming eight indistinct bars on dorsum. Lower flank much lighter with straw coloured enlarged spine-like tubercles on each side; tail colouration light brown with 13 alternating darker bands, post cloacal tubercles and pointed tubercles on lateral rows in alternating whorls dull-white. Dorsum of limbs with few indistinct light and dark bands, digits with distinct alternating dark and light bands, a strong dark streak on the posterior of femur. Ventral surfaces dull-white, underside of head and neck throat dirty white with light yellow on lateral sides, fine black spots under forelimbs, belly, hindlimbs and tail white with fine black speckles. Pupil black, outlined by bronze iris.
Mensural and meristic data and additional character states evaluation data for both female paratypes are given in Tables
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.
NRC-AA-1188 (AK-R 839), adult male, from Honey Valley Estate (12.2146°N, 75.6586°E; elevation ca. 1250 m) near Byllikere peak, Kodagu district, Karnataka state, India, collected by Ishan Agarwal on 2nd December 2018.
NRC-AA-1186 (AK-R 837),
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.
Vijaya’s Coorg dwarf gecko.
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.
Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. can be morphologically distinguished from all other described members of the goaensis clade on the basis of the following differing or non-overlapping characters: 9–11 dorsal tubercle rows at mid-body (versus 6–8 dorsal tubercle rows at mid-body in C. amboliensis and C. goaensis; eight or nine dorsal tubercles rows at mid-body in C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov.); paravertebral tubercles on the body between forelimb and hindlimb irregularly arranged (versus 7–12 paravertebral tubercles on the body between forelimb and hindlimb insertions in C. amboliensis); 26–30 scales across belly at mid-body (versus 19–22 ventral scales across belly at mid-body in C. amboliensis and 23–26 scales across belly at mid-body in C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov.); scales on upper arm and those towards knee on thigh tricarinate (versus scales on upper arm and thigh unicarinate in C. goaensis; C. ranganaensis and C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov.); males 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) (versus three or four femoral pores on each thigh, separated by seven or eight poreless scales from continuous series of three or four precloacal pores in C. amboliensis; two or three femoral pores on each thigh, separated by 8–12 poreless scales from continuous series of two or three precloacal pores in C. goaensis; two or three femoral pores on each thigh, separated by eight or nine poreless scales from continuous series of three precloacal pores in C. ranganaensis; three or four femoral pores on each thigh, separated by 10 or 11 poreless scales from continuous series of two precloacal pores in C. sakleshpurensis sp. nov.).
Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. is morphologically similar to its sympatric species C. cf. schalleri of monticola clade in body size, having spine-like scales on flanks and presence of both femoral and precloacal pores in males. However, the new species can be easily distinguished from C. schalleri by having 9–11 irregularly arranged rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body (versus 14–16 regularly arranged rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body); having irregularly arranged rows of paravertebral tubercles on body between forelimb and hindlimb insertion (versus a regular series of 17–20 tubercles in paravertebral rows on the body between forelimb and hindlimb); and by presence of small dorsal ocellus just anterior to forelimb insertions (versus dorsal ocellus just anterior to forelimb insertions absent).
Adult male in a fairly good state of preservation except a 3.2 mm long incision in the sternal region for liver tissue collection, tail tip slightly bent towards left, and digit III of left manus incomplete (Fig.
Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. (holotype, NRC-AA-1188): A dorsal view of head, B ventral view of head, C right side lateral view of head, D view of cloacal region showing femoral and precloacal pores, E ventral view of right manus, and F ventral view of right pes. Scale bars 5 mm; photos by Akshay Khandekar and Satpal Gangalmale.
Body slender (BW/AGL 0.44), trunk less than half of SVL (AGL/SVL 0.41) without ventrolateral folds; three of spine-like scales present on flank on each side. Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous; weakly keeled, granular scales, intermixed with irregularly arranged rows of large, keeled, tubercles on each flank; three rows of enlarged tubercles on flank on either side much enlarged, weakly keeled and spine-like; 11 dorsal tubercles rows at mid-body including spine-like scales; paravertebral tubercles on the body between forelimb and hindlimb insertions irregular (Fig.
Scales on dorsal aspect of manus much larger than dorsal granular scales, tricarinate, and imbricate; those near forelimb insertion small and granular; dorsal aspect of hand predominantly bearing large, flattened, 1–3 carinate, and imbricate scales. Ventral aspect of manus with smooth, roughly subcircular, subimbricate scales; scales on palm and sole smooth, flat and subcircular, subimbricate. Scales on dorsal and anterio-lateral aspect of thigh much larger than those on dorsal granules, strongly keeled, imbricate except those near hindlimb insertion which are granular, much smaller than dorsal granules, weakly keeled and somewhat conical; scales on posterior-lateral aspect of thigh similar in shape to granular scales on mid-body dorsum, marginally larger, becoming smaller, and smooth posteriorly. Scales on dorsal aspect of knee slightly smaller than those on thigh dorsal, weakly keeled, those around knee large, tricarinate, imbricate; scales on shank still smaller, strongly keeled, subimbricate; dorsal aspect of foot predominantly bearing large flattened, tricarinate, imbricate scales. Scales on ventral aspect of thigh slightly larger than mid-body ventrals, smooth and imbricate; scales on shank more or less similar in size to those on mid-body ventrals, smooth, imbricate (Fig.
Fore-limbs and hind-limbs slightly long, slender (LAL/SVL 0.14); (CL/SVL 0.17); digits long, with a strong, recurved claw, distinctly inflected, distal portions laterally compressed conspicuously. Series of unpaired lamellae on basal portion of digits, separated from unpaired, narrower distal lamellae by a single large scale at the inflection; proximal lamellae series: 2-3-3-4-4 (right manus; Fig.
Tail entire, original, subcylindrical and slender (Fig.
Dorsal ground colour of head, body, limbs and tail brown; head speckled with black, fine dark vertical streak between left and right orbit; fine dark pre-orbital streak from nostril to orbit, two fine dark postorbital streaks just extending onto neck; labials yellow with lighter and darker bars. A discontinuous straw-coloured mid-dorsal stripe runs from occiput to tail; a small, dark ocellus is present just anterior to forelimb insertions; enlarged, spine-like tubercles on flank yellow. Tail lighter than body; dorsum of forelimbs mottled, hindlimbs with light and dark markings, digits with alternating indistinct dark and light bands. Ventral surfaces dull-white, underside of head and neck throat dirty yellow with fine back spots fading out between hindlimb insertions, fine black spots under forelimbs and sides of the belly; underside of the tail off white, without any dark markings. Pupil black, iris bronze, outlined by fine silver ring.
Mensural, meristic and additional character states evaluation data for the type series is given in Tables
Mensural (mm) data for the type series of Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. of the goaensis clade. Abbreviations are listed in Materials and Methods; * = tail incomplete.
Type | Holotype | Paratypes | |||
Specimen number | NRC-AA-1188 | NRC-AA-1185 | NRC-AA-1186 | NRC-AA-1187 |
|
Sex | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male |
SVL | 35.6 | 32.1 | 32.4 | 34.1 | 33.0 |
TL | 46.8 | 21.0* | 42.2 | 39 | 2.6* |
TW | 4.2 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.3 |
LAL | 5.1 | 4.1 | 4.56 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
CL | 6.1 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 5.5 |
AGL | 14.7 | 13.2 | 14 | 14.8 | 13.4 |
BH | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 4.6 | 2.8 |
BW | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.6 | 7.5 | 6.5 |
HL | 8.6 | 7.7 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.2 |
HW | 6.4 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.2 |
HD | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
ED | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
EE | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.7 |
ES | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
EN | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.6 |
IN | 1.0 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 |
IO | 2.6 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 1.4 |
EL | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
Meristic data for the type series of Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. of the goaensis clade. Abbreviations are listed in Materials and Methods except for: L&R = Left & Right; irr.arr. = irregularly arranged; * = lamellae missing or incomplete; abs. = absent.
Type | Holotype | Paratypes | |||
Specimen number | NRC-AA-1188 | NRC-AA-1185 | NRC-AA-1186 | NRC-AA-1187 |
|
Sex | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male |
SL L&R | 8&8 | 8&8 | 8&8 | 9&8 | 9&10 |
IL L&R | 7&7 | 8&7 | 8&8 | 7&7 | 7&7 |
SL M L&R | 5&6 | 6&6 | 5&6 | 7&6 | 7&7 |
IL M L&R | 4&5 | 5&5 | 5&5 | 5&5 | 5&6 |
PVT | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. | irr.arr. |
DTR | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
MVSR | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 30 |
VS | 127 | 119 | 118 | 122 | 124 |
LamF1 L&R | 11&11 | 10&10 | 8*&10 | 10&11 | 10&10 |
LamF4 L&R | 16&16 | 15&15 | 13*&16 | 15&16 | 15&16 |
LamT1 L&R | 11&11 | 10&10 | 10&10 | 11&11 | 10&11 |
LamT4 L&R | 17&17 | 12*&17 | 17&17 | 18&18 | 18&19 |
LamT5 L&R | 17&17 | 16&16 | 16&15 | 16&17 | 17&17 |
PP L&R | 1&2 | abs. | 3 | abs. | 1&2 |
SBPP | 2 | abs. | abs. | abs. | 1 |
FP L&R | 4&4 | abs. | 3&3 | abs. | 4&3 |
SB PP and FP L&R | 7&7 | abs. | 7&8 | abs. | 8&8 |
PCT L&R | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 | 1&1 |
Additional morphological character states evaluation for the type series of Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. of the goaensis clade. abs. = absent; / = data unavailable.
Type | Holotype | Paratypes | |||
Specimen number | NRC-AA-1188 | NRC-AA-1185 | NRC-AA-1186 | NRC-AA-1187 |
|
Sex | Male | Female | Male | Female | Male |
Occipital ocellus/ ocellus just behind occiput present (1) or not (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dorsal ocellus between forelimb insertions present (1) or not (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Anterior extra-brillar fringe scales enlarged (1) or not (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Ventral scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gular scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Pectoral scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Precloacal pores continuous (1) or separated (0) | 0 | abs. | 1 | abs. | 0 |
Precloacal pores elongate (1) or round (0) | 0 | abs. | 0 | abs. | 0 |
femoral pores elongate (1) or round (0) | 1 | abs. | 1 | abs. | 0 |
Dorsal pholidosis homogeneous (1) or heterogeneous (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dorsal tubercles keeled (1) or not keeled (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Tubercles linearly arranged (1) or more random (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Spine-like tubercles on flank present (1) or absent (0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Lateral caudal furrows present (1) or absent (0) | 1 | 1 | / | 1 | 1 |
Sub-caudals keeled only on posterior tail (1) or smooth entirely (0) | 1 | 1 | / | 1 | 1 |
Single median row of sub-caudals keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 1 | 1 | / | 1 | 1 |
Caudal tubercles encircle tail (1) or not (0) | 1 | 1 | / | 1 | 1 |
Slightly enlarged median sub-caudal scale row (1) or not (0) | 1 | 1 | / | 1 | 1 |
Enlarged femoral scales present (1) or absent (0) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Subtibial scales keeled (1) or smooth (0) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
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.
1 | Scales on upper arm and thigh tricarinate | 2 |
– | Scales on upper arm and thigh unicarinate | 3 |
2 | 6–8 DTR, <22 MVSR, 7–12 PVT | Cnemaspis amboliensis |
– | 9–11 DTR, 26–30 MVSR, PVT irregularly arranged | Cnemaspis vijayae sp. nov. |
3 | 93–101 ventral scales | Cnemaspis ranganaensis |
– | >110 ventral scales | 4 |
4 | Internasal scales absent, supranasals in strong contact with each other on snout; 23–26 MVSR | Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov. |
– | One or two internasal scales separating supranasals on snout; 27–32 MVSR | Cnemaspis goaensis |
South Asian Cnemaspis continue to be discovered and named at an unprecedented rate in India and Sri Lanka – over 75% of the ~100 known species within the group have been described in the last two decades (
SAC are perhaps the oldest extant Indian squamate taxon with initial divergence in the Paleocene-Eocene in the Western Ghats, and are ancestrally cool adapted (
The discovery of Cnemaspis tigris sp. nov., the seventh species of the mysoriensis clade, and the 16th species from peninsular India outside the Western Ghats, is not surprising given the inherently patchy nature of the granite habitats they inhabit.
The discoveries of Cnemaspis sakleshpurensis sp. nov. and C. vijayae sp. nov. from the central Western Ghats takes the number of species known from the goaensis clade to five and the number of Cnemaspis described from the Western Ghats to 49 (
All specimens are non-scheduled under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and were collected from private property. Swapnil Pawar, Vaibhav Patil, Varad Giri, Vijay Sandge, Robin Bansode and Rajendra Gujar helped with the fieldwork. We are grateful to the Chengappa family, especially Suresh Chengappa at Honey Valley Homestay for their hospitality. Satpal Gangalmale assisted in morphological data collection and specimen photography. We are thankful to Uma Ramakrishnan for lab support at NCBS. Vivek Ramachandran and Rahul Khot provided the voucher numbers for the specimens at NCBS and