Cyrtodactylus collegalensis

Agarwal, Ishan, Mirza, Zeeshan A., Pal, Saunak, Maddock, Simon T., Mishra, Anurag & Bauer, Aaron M., 2016, A new species of the Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) collegalensis (Beddome, 1870) complex (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Western India, Zootaxa 4170 (2), pp. 339-354 : 343-344

Cyrtodactylus collegalensis

Fig. 3

Gymnodactylus collegalensis Beddome 1870

Gymnodactylus nebulosus Boulenger 1885 (in part) Geckoella collegalensis Agarwal & Karanth 2015

Holotype. BMNH 1946.8 .25.28, adult male, “lower slopes of Balarangans (BR Hills), in dry forests near Yellundur ” (today Yelandur, Chamarajanagara District, Karnataka, India), collected by R. H. Beddome.

Additional material. CES/09/1444, subadult male, MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamarajanagar District , Karnataka, India, collected by Chintan Sheth and Ishan Agarwal, 13.04.2013 ; CES/09/1463, adult female, Kollegal Taluk , Chamarajanagar District, Karnataka, India collected by Ishan Agarwal, Saunak Pal, Varun Torsekar, Navendu Page, 14.09.2013 . Unvouchered photographic records and tissue collected for two additional specimens CES/09/ 1442–1443; MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamarajanagar District, Karnataka, India, collected by Chintan Sheth, V. Deepak and Ishan Agarwal, 13.04.2013 .

An additional specimen, though differing in coloration from topotypical C. collegalensis and 4.7% divergent (uncorrected p-distance, ND2), is tentatively referred to this species. CES/09/1403, adult female, Mettur Taluk, Salem District, Tamil Nadu, India, collected by V. Deepak and Ishan Agarwal, 26.05.2012.

Definition. A small Cyrtodactylus , snout-vent length to at least 54 mm; head short, body moderately stout, limbs and digits not long, slender; two pairs of enlarged postmentals, outer pair smaller than and separated by inner pair, which are in broad contact; homogeneous dorsal scalation consisting of small, granular, roughly circular scales; 27–29 ventral scales across belly; no precloacal groove, no enlarged precloacal or femoral scales, no precloacal or femoral pores. Nine to ten lamellae in basal series and 6–9 in apical series beneath 4th toe of pes. Subcaudals on original tail roughly subequal. Dorsal pattern of three pairs of dark spots that may be fused into 8- shaped markings between limb insertions — one beginning behind forelimb insertion largest and the last ending just above the hindlimb insertion smallest; lighter interspaces narrower than largest spot and broader than smallest, often with a few small dark markings; broken elongate spots/streaks along flank; ground colouration the colour of milky tea in the faded holotype and tan to brown in other specimens; dark streaks covering gular region.

Comments. Collections from around the type locality resulted in the rediscovery of this species as well as the discovery of a moderately genetically divergent specimen with a drastically different colour pattern from an isolated hill. Further sampling is needed to ascertain if that is an aberrant individual, Cyrtodactylus collegalensis shows clinal geographic variation, or if that population is truly divergent. This species is variable in pattern, with stippling on the lighter interspaces between spots absent in a few specimens, the collar separated from the postorbital streak in CES/09/1403, dorsal pairs of spots fused occasionally. Interestingly, CES/09/1442 and CES/ 09/1443 that have identical ND2 sequences have different head markings, body colouration and vary in the degree of fusion of spots ( Fig. 3 ).

Diagnosis. Cyrtodactylus collegalensis (and members of the C. collegalensis complex) can be separated from all other Cyrtodactylus species by entirely homogeneous dorsal scalation, the absence of a precloacal groove, no enlarged precloacal or femoral scales, and no precloacal or femoral pores. C. collegalensis and members of the C. collegalensis complex differ from other Geckoella species in homogeneous dorsal scalation that consists of small, granular scales (vs. large flattened or granular dorsal scales, interspersed with a few or numerous tubercles in C. albofasciatus , C. deccanensis and C. triedrus ; enlarged, hexagonal scales in C. jeyporensis ; tubercles present in C. nebulosus ; presence of few enlarged scales near hind-limbs in C. yakhuna ). Geckoella collegalensis can be additionally be differentiated from the Sri Lankan C. yakhuna by dorsal colour pattern (three rows of paired spots/ 8-shaped markings between limb insertions, equal to or wider than interspaces vs. one or two rows of spots/bands, equal to or narrower than interspaces). Cyrtodactylus collegalensis is most similar to C. speciosus , but can be differentiated by a number of characters which are detailed after the systematic account of C. speciosus .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Dorsal view of Cyrtodactylus collegalensis (top row, A – F) and C. speciosus (bottom row, G – L). A, holotype of C. collegalensis (BMNH 1946.8.25.28); B, CES / 09 / 1444; C, CES / 09 / 1463; D, CES / 09 / 1442; E, CES / 09 / 1443; F, C. collegalensis, CES / 09 / 1403. G, holotype of C. speciosus, BMNH 1946.9.4.88; H, presumed sketch of C. speciosus (Boulenger 1885); I, CES / 09 / 1405; J, CES / 09 / 1406; K, CES / 09 / 1407; L, CES / 09 / 1408.