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Cnemaspis fantastica AGARWAL, THACKERAY & KHANDEKAR, 2022

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Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Fantastic dwarf gecko 
SynonymCnemaspis fantastica AGARWAL, THACKERAY & KHANDEKAR 2022: 1159 
DistributionIndia (Tamil Nadu)

Type locality: near Tree view point, (11.3192°N, 78.3460°E; ca. 1060 m asl.), Kolli Hills, Solakkadu, Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu state, India  
Reproduction 
TypesHolotype. NRC-AA-1222 (AK 688), adult male; collected by Akshay Khandekar, Swapnil Pawar, and Tejas Thackeray on 28th May 2019.
Paratypes. NRC-AA-1224 (AK 285), NRC-AA-1225 (AK 286), adult males, same locality data as holotype; NRC-AA-1223 (AK 284), NRC-AA-1226 (AK 684), adult females (11.3240°N, 78.3419°E; ca. 800 m asl.), Kolli Hills; and NRC-AA-1227 (AK 685), NRC-AA-1229 (AK 687), adult males, NRC-AA-1228 (AK 686), adult female (11.3270°N, 78.3392°E; ca. 600 m asl.) Kolli Hills collected by Akshay Khandekar, Ishan Agarwal, Nikhil Gaitonde, on 20th December 2018. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A small-sized Cnemaspis, snout to vent length up to 32.5 mm (n = 8). Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous; weakly keeled granular scales intermixed with a fairly regularly arranged rows of enlarged, strongly keeled, conical tubercles; last one or two rows of enlarged tubercles on flank weakly keeled, spine-like; 11–13 rows of dorsal tubercles at mid-body, 15–17 tubercles in paravertebral rows; ventral scales smooth, subcircular, subimbricate, subequal from chest to vent, 28–32 scales across belly at mid-body, 110–120 longitudinal scales from mental to cloaca; subdigital scansors smooth, unpaired, unnotched; 8–10 lamellae under digit I of manus and pes, 14–16 lamellae under digit IV of manus and 16–20 lamellae under digit IV of pes; males with four or five femoral pores on each thigh separated by 7–9 poreless scales from series of 2–4 precloacal pores, precloacal pores separated medially by one or two poreless scales; tail with enlarged, strongly keeled, pointed, and spine-like tubercles forming whorls; median row of subcaudals smooth, roughly pentagonal, and distinctly enlarged. Dorsum reddish, mottled with numerous small yellow spots some of which form an indistinct vertebral line; a single central ocellus on neck, flanked posteriorly by a pair of much larger squarish blotches and anteriorly by a pair of subequal squarish blotches, indistinct spot on occiput; venter off-white with black speckles, two distinct pairs of black streaks on throat; throat off-white with two pairs of black streaks; original tail in males with 8–9 alternating dark and light grey bands, regenerated tail orange. 
Comment 
EtymologyThe specific epithet is derived from the Greek phantastikós, alluding to the spectacular colouration of the new species. 
References
  • Agarwal I, Thackeray T, Khandekar A 2022. A multitude of spots! Five new microendemic species of the Cnemaspis gracilis group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from massifs in the Shevaroy landscape, Tamil Nadu, India. Vertebrate Zoology 72: 1137-1186 - get paper here
  • Kwet, A. 2023. Liste der im Jahr 2022 neu beschriebenen Reptilien. Elaphe 2023 (3): 48-73
 
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