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A new bent-toed gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from the Western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, India

Agarwal, Ishan and Khandekar, Akshay and Bauer, Aaron M (2018) A new bent-toed gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from the Western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, India. In: ZOOTAXA, 4446 (4). pp. 442-454.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4446.4.2

Abstract

We describe a new species of the gekkonid genus Cyrtodactylus based on a series of six specimens from the Chamba Valley in the Western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh state, India. Cyrtodactylus chamba sp. nov. is a member of the subgenus Siwaligekko and can be diagnosed from congeners in the Western Himalayas by a combination of its small size (snout to vent length up to 63 mm), a continuous series of five precloacal pores on males, 13-15 rows of dorsal tubercles, 33-43 scales across the belly, no regular series of enlarged subcaudals, and a dorsal colour pattern of 5-7 irregular, broad, dark bands with much narrower, light interspaces. The new species is 14% divergent in ND2 sequence from the most similar sampled congener, Cyrtodactylus (Siwaligekko) himalayanus from Jammu and Kashmir, and is 0.5-1.1% divergent in nuclear sequence data from sampled Siwaligekko species. Many more undiscovered Cyrtodactylus species probably exist across the Himalayas at elevations below similar to 2000 m; basic field surveys for reptiles and other poorly known groups and examination of existing material should be a priority if we are to appreciate the true diversity of this spectacular mountainous landscape.

Item Type: Journal Article
Publication: ZOOTAXA
Publisher: MAGNOLIA PRESS, PO BOX 41383, AUCKLAND, ST LUKES 1030, NEW ZEALAND
Additional Information: Copy right for this article belong to MAGNOLIA PRESS, PO BOX 41383, AUCKLAND, ST LUKES 1030, NEW ZEALAND
Department/Centre: Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited: 30 Aug 2018 15:41
Last Modified: 30 Aug 2018 15:41
URI: http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/60532

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