Abstract
Abstract A new large (94–107mm SVL) species of gecko of the genus Hemidactylus is described from the drier parts of the Western Ghats of India. The new species is closely related to H. graniticolus, from which it can be distinguished based on dorsal pholidosis at mid-body, the structure of tubercles on the dorsum, dorsal pholidosis on the tail. The new species is also 6.6–7.2% divergent from H. graniticolus in the ND2 mitochondrial gene.
Highlights
The gekkonid genus Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820 is one of the most specious groups of geckos with 180 known species distributed across the globe (Uetz et al 2021)
A recent study showed the role of the Eocene–Oligocene cooling that facilitated the early diversification of Hemidactylus spp. in peninsular India (Lajmi and Karanth 2020)
We describe a distinct new species from the Western Ghats, that is closely related to Hemidactylus graniticolus, based on morphology and molecular data
Summary
The gekkonid genus Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820 is one of the most specious groups of geckos with 180 known species distributed across the globe (Uetz et al 2021). Sandeep Das et al.: New species of Hemidactylus multiple dispersals into Sri Lanka (Lajmi et al 2019). Among the south Asian Hemidactylus, prashadi clade is well-supported (Agarwal et al 2019a and Lajmi et al 2019) and comprises 20 described species that are largely restricted to peninsular India and Sri Lanka (Khandekar et al 2021). This group can be differentiated from the other members of the genus by their having mostly medium to large adult body size (SVL 77–128 mm)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
