Two new species of the Cnemaspisgalaxia complex (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the eastern slopes of the southern Western Ghats.

Two new species allied to Cnemaspisgalaxia are described from the eastern slopes of the south Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India. Both new species are members of the ornata subclade within the beddomei clade. The two new species can be easily distinguished from all other members of the beddomei clade and each other by a combination of nonoverlapping morphological characters such as small body size, distinct colouration of both sexes, the number of dorsal tubercles around the body, the number or arrangement of paravertebral tubercles, the number of midventral scales across the belly and longitudinal ventral scales from mental to cloaca, besides uncorrected pairwise ND2 and 16S sequence divergence of ≥ 7.4% and ≥ 2.7%. The two new species are distributed from low elevation, deciduous forests of Srivilliputhur, and add to the five previously known endemic vertebrates from Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve.

An expanded description of Cnemaspis gracilis (Beddome 1870) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) based on recent material.

Cnemaspis gracilis is a poorly known species that has been reported from across southern India, with 11 named species within the clade. The species is known only from the type series, as many other records from areas outside the type locality have turned out to represent distinct species. We provide an expanded morphological description of the species based on topotypic material and other samples that were assigned using genetic data. Cnemaspis gracilis is now known with certainty from three localities in the vicinity of Palakkad, Palakkad District, Kerala, and Valparai town, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, besides from an introduced population in the Timber Market, Kolhapur city, Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, India. The species is 7.6-15.8 % divergent on the ND2 gene from described members of the gracilis clade and can be diagnosed by a combination of morphological characters including body size, number of paravertebral tubercles between limb insertions, number of dorsal tubercle rows, number of ventral scale rows across the belly, number of femoral and precloacal pores and poreless scales separating these series in males, and the presence of a single central black ocellus on the neck and a smaller one on the occiput. The assignment of extant populations to the species, a detailed morphological description and genetic data will allow the description of many more species from within this diverse clade of diurnal geckos.

A new species of naked-toed gecko Cyrtopodion sensu lato (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Gujarat, India.

We describe a new species of naked-toed gecko of the genus Cyrtopodion Fitzinger, 1843, from the Dahod and Panchmahal districts of Gujarat state, India. The new species is diagnosable by the following suite of characters: a medium-sized Cyrtopodion (adult, snout to vent length up to 50 mm); dorsal scalation on trunk granular, intermixed with enlarged, regularly arranged transverse rows of 15 trihedral tubercles; 6 transverse rows of tubercles on the second segment of the tail; midbody scale rows across belly 20-22; midventral scales 89-97; males with a continuous series of 29-33 precloacal-femoral pores. The new species, Cyrtopodion vindhya sp. nov. is the fifth endemic species of reptile described in the last 15 years from the state of Gujarat that highlights the rich and unique diversity of this understudied region.

Ghatiana sanguinolenta, a new species of freshwater crab (Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from the Central Western Ghats of India.

Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov. is recognized herein as the twelfth species of the gecarcinucid genus Ghatiana Pati & Sharma, 2014, and the fifth species of the genus from the Karnataka state. This new species of freshwater crab is currently known only from the type locality, which is situated in the Central Western Ghats of India. Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov. can be immediately distinguished from congeners by the outwardly curved ultimate article of the male first gonopod and the dark blood-red colour in life.

Sicyopterus garra Hora, 1925, a valid species of sicydiine goby from the Andaman Islands, India.

Sicyopterus garra Hora, 1925 from the insular streams of South Andaman Islands was synonymized with Sicyopterus microcephalus described from Java, South East Asia and has retained this taxonomic status since then. Recent collections of Sicyopterus from the type locality of S. garra and the examination of syntypes of this species revealed significant morphological and genetic differences from S. microcephalus and the other Sicyopterus species with papillae on upper lip. S. garra is thus a valid species and not a synonym of S. microcephalus. S. garra differs from S. microcephalus in having fewer lateral scales 53-59 vs. 57-68, fewer zigzag series (12-14 vs. 13-16), a longer caudal peduncle length (16-21 vs. 13-17), and by having a high percentage of divergence in COI gene (5.5%-5.8%).

A cryptic new species of rupicolous Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) allied to H. aaronbaueri Giri, 2008 from the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India.

We describe a cryptic new species of large-bodied rupicolous Hemidactylus allied to H. aaronbaueri from Tamhini Ghat, in Raigad and Pune districts of Maharashtra state, India. Hemidactylus tamhiniensis sp. nov. falls within the prashadi group of Indian Hemidactylus and can be diagnosed from all other members of the group by combination of several morphological characters such as its large-body size (maximum SVL 126 mm), the number of femoral pores and poreless scales between the left and right series of femoral pores in males, and the number of transverse ventral scales across the belly at mid-body. The new species differs from H. aaronbaueri based on dorsal pholidosis at mid-body, the number of undivided lamellae beneath the first finger, the number of internasal scales, and subtle colour pattern differences, besides 10.6% uncorrected ND2 sequence divergence.

A new medium-sized rupicolous Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) of the C. bangara clade from granite boulder habitats in Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu, India.

We describe a new species of the Cnemaspis bangara clade from a rocky hillock near Kugai Periya Mariamman Temple, Krishnagiri fort, Krishnagiri District of Tamil Nadu, India. Cnemaspis krishnagiriensis sp. nov. can be diagnosed from all other peninsular Indian congeners by its medium body size (maximum SVL 40 mm), heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis, spine-like tubercles absent on flanks; presence of four femoral pores on each thigh separated on either side by nine or 10 poreless scales from three continuous precloacal pores in males; tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, conical tubercles forming four whorls on anterior portion, six tubercles in first whorl, four tubercles in second to fourth whorls, enlarged tubercles restricted to only paravertebral region on rest of the tail; median row of sub-caudals smooth and distinctly enlarged, and a unique colour pattern. The new species can be diagnosed from members of C. bangara clade by the number of dorsal tubercles rows at mid-body, the number of enlarged tubercles in paravertebral rows, the number of ventral scales across belly at mid-body, the number longitudinal ventral scales from mental to cloaca, the number of femoral and precloacal pores and poreless scales separating these series, and subtle colour pattern differences; besides 9.217.6 % uncorrected ND2 sequence divergence. Cnemaspis krishnagiriensis sp. nov. is the fourth member of the recently described bangara clade and is the first that is known to be distributed <900 m asl.. The discovery of yet another endemic species of Cnemaspis from lower elevations of the Mysore Plateau once again highlights the need of dedicated systematic sampling to uncover the true diversity of Cnemaspis. We also address a nomenclatural issue related to the recently described Cnemaspis stellapulvis Khandekar, Thackeray Agarwal.

A novel small-bodied rupicolous Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India, with comments on the status of C. indraneildasii, Bauer 2000.

We describe a distinct new rupicolous Cnemaspis based on four adult specimens collected from the Kedareshwar caves on Harishchandragad mountain, from the northern Western Ghats, approximately 1200 m asl. in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state, India. Cnemaspis uttaraghati sp. nov. can be diagnosed from all other peninsular Indian congeners by its small body size (maximum SVL < 39 mm), heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis, presence of spine-like tubercles on flanks; presence of only femoral pores in males; tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, conical tubercles forming whorls; median row of sub-caudal scales smooth, slightly enlarged, regularly arranged with condition of two slightly larger scales alternating with a large divided scale. The new species is likely to be allied to the C. girii clade and can be diagnosed from its members by its slightly larger body size, presence of spine-like tubercles on flanks, the number of enlarged tubercles in paravertebral rows between forelimb and hindlimb insertions, the number of dorsal tubercle rows at mid-body, the number of ventral scales across belly at mid-body, the number of longitudinal ventral scales from mental to cloaca, and the number of lamellae under digit IV of manus. We also provide a detailed morphological dataset for C. goaensis and C. indraneildasii based on topotypic material and specimens collected from additional localities to confirm C. indraneildasii is a junior synonym of C. goaensis, and provide an updated diagnosis for C. goaensis.

A new small-bodied, polymorphic emCnemaspis/em Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) allied to emC. monticola/em Manamendra-Arachchi, Batuwita amp; Pethiyagoda, 2007 from the Central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India.

We describe a new small-bodied, polymorphic Cnemaspis from near Hongadahalla village, Sakleshpur in the Central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. Cnemaspis schalleri sp. nov. is allied to C. monticola and can be diagnosed from all other Indian Cnemaspis by its small body size; presence of spine-like tubercles on flank; heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis; presence of both precloacal and femoral pores in males; dorsal pholidosis of tail heterogeneous, composed of small, weakly keeled, flattened, sub-imbricate scales intermixed with enlarged, strongly keeled, distinctly pointed, conical tubercles forming whorls; slightly enlarged median row of sub-caudal scales, smooth at anterior half and strongly keeled posteriorly. The new species differs from C. monticola based on the number of dorsal tubercle rows at mid-body, the number of paravertebral tubercles, the number of precloacal pores and poreless scales between precloacal and femoral pores; besides 8.9-10.7 % uncorrected ND2 sequence divergence. We also provide the first description of topotypic males of C. monticola along with the first data on live colouration and natural history. Cnemaspis schalleri sp. nov. is the second new Cnemaspis described from around Sakleshpur within a span of less than a year with minimal field survey effort. It is almost certain than the dedicated systematic sampling across the Central Western Ghats will result in the discovery of many undescribed Cnemaspis lineages.

A new large-bodied, rupicolous Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) allied to Cnemaspis heteropholis Bauer, 2002 from the Central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India.

We describe a new large-bodied, rupicolous Cnemaspis from near Sakleshpur in the Central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. Cnemaspis magnifica sp. nov. is allied to C. heteropholis and can be diagnosed from all other Indian Cnemaspis by the absence of spine-like scales on flank; heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis, presence of only femoral pores in males, homogenous dorsal pholidosis of tail with small, smooth, regularly arranged, flattened, subimbricate scales, without whorls of enlarged tubercles, median row of sub-caudals enlarged and smooth. The new species differs from its closest congener C. heteropholis in body size, the number of longitudinal ventral scales, number of lamellae under digit I and IV of manus and pes, and subtle colour pattern differences; besides 9.1 % uncorrected ND2 sequence divergence. We provide the first description of topotypic male of C. heteropholis along with data on its distribution and natural history. The discovery of Cnemaspis magnifica sp. nov. with minimal field survey effort indicates the need for further herpetological exploration in the region.

A new medium-bodied rupicolous Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Sirumalai massif, Tamil Nadu, India.

We describe a new species of the Hemidactylus acanthopholis clade from Sirumalai, an isolated massif in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu state, India. Hemidactylus sirumalaiensis sp. nov. can be diagnosed from all members of the prashadi group by its medium body size (SVL <95 mm), the number of dorsal tubercles rows at mid-body, the number of enlarged tubercles in paravertebral rows, the number of femoral pores and poreless scales between series of left and right femoral pores on the femoral-precloacal row in males, the number of ventral scales across the belly at mid-body and subtle colour pattern differences. The new species is the fourth member of the acanthopholis clade and 8.5-13.4 % divergent in ND2 sequence data from other members of the clade. We also provide data on additional specimens from a new locality of Hemidactylus kolliensis, previously known only from the male holotype. Hemidactylus sirumalaiensis sp. nov. is the first endemic and only the other vertebrate species described from Sirumalai massif in the last 133 years. Most rupicolous Hemidactylus species from peninsular India outside the Western Ghats are known only from a few localities and are likely to be geographically restricted in distribution, and large areas of suitable habitat remain unsurveyed, suggesting many more allied species remain to be discovered.

A new cryptic Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from an isolated granite hill on the Mysore Plateau, Karnataka, India.

We describe a cryptic new species of the Cnemaspis mysoriensis complex from an isolated rocky hillock near Yadiyur, Mandya District of south Karnataka, India. Cnemaspis stellapulvis sp. nov. can be diagnosed from all other peninsular Indian congeners by its small body size (SVL <32 mm), presence of spine-like tubercles on the flanks, heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis, two or three femoral pores on each thigh separated on either side by eight poreless scales from a continuous series of two precloacal pores in males, tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, conical tubercles forming whorls, median row of sub-caudals smooth and slightly enlarged, and a distinct colour pattern. The new species can be diagnosed from members of C. mysoriensis clade by the number of femoral and precloacal pores and number of poreless scales separating these series, the number of dorsal tubercles rows at mid-body, the number of ventral scales across the belly at mid-body and subtle colour pattern differences; besides 13.4-21.4 % uncorrected ND2 sequence divergence. In this paper, we define the Cnemaspis mysoriensis clade and provide a diagnosis and comparison against peninsular Indian congeners. We also provide major diagnostic characters for members of the C. mysoriensis clade. The discovery of yet another endemic species of Cnemaspis from one of the many isolated granite rocky hills on Mysore Plateau highlights the possibilities of presence of many more cryptic undescribed species.

Geckos in the granite: two new geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from rocky, scrub habitats in Rishi Valley, Andhra Pradesh, India.

Two new species of geckos from the genera Cnemaspis and Hemidactylus are described from a granite outcrop in the Rishi Valley, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India. Cnemaspis rishivalleyensis sp. nov. and Hemidactylus rishivalleyensis sp. nov. are presently known only from their type locality and are 8.7 % and 10.9 % divergent from their closest known sister species, respectively. The new species are allied to the mysoriensis and murrayi clades of South Asian Cnemaspis and the brookii group of Indian Hemidactylus, respectively. The two new species can be diagnosed from regional congeners by the number and arrangement of femoral and precloacal pores and poreless scales separating these series, body size, the number of tubercles in paravertebral rows, the number of enlarged tubercles around mid-body, the number of ventral scales across mid-body, the number of lamellae beneath digit IV of pes and manus, and subtle differences in colour pattern. Four endemic geckos now have their type localities within 10 km of each other, Cnemaspis graniticola and Cyrtodactylus rishivalleyensis from Horsley Hills and the two new species from Rishi valley. The two new species are also the third endemic species each of Cnemaspis and Hemidactylus from Andhra Pradesh.

Two more new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India.

We describe two new species of the gekkonid genus Cnemaspis from the northern Western Ghats in Maharashtra, India. Cnemaspis amba sp. nov. and C. koynaensis sp. nov. are members of the C. girii clade and differ genetically from each other and other members of the clade by -7.9-19.6 % uncorrected ND2 sequence divergence. The two new species are also morphologically distinguishable from all regional congeners on the basis of condition of spine-like scales on flanks, heterogeneity of dorsal pholidosis, number of dorsal tubercle rows, number of tubercles in paravertebral rows, femoral pores, number of poreless scales between femoral pores in the precloacal-femoral scale row, and keeling and size of sub-caudal scales. Cnemaspis amba sp. nov. differs from C. koynaensis sp. nov. in lacking  spine-like scales on flanks and in the number of longitudinal ventral scales and  ventral scales across mid-body. Both species are known only from their mid-elevation (~800 m asl.) type localities. Discovery of two new species increases the total species of Northern Western Ghats (NWG) Cnemaspis to ten. Specific status of numerous genetically divergent lineages needs to be evaluated and it is likely that many more species remain to be discovered from the poorly explored NWG, which are typically considered low in species diversity relative to more southern regions. We also provide a table describing major diagnostic characters across all NWG Cnemaspis species and corrected type locality data for three recently named species-Cnemaspis ajijae, C. limayei and C. mahabali.