Dravidogecko anamallensis (GÜNTHER, 1875)
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Dravidogecko anamallensis
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Anamalay gecko, Anaimalai Dravidogecko |
| Synonym | Gecko anamallensis GÜNTHER 1875: 226 Hoplodactylus anamallensis GÜNTHER 1875 (fide BAUER & RUSSELL 1995) Hoplodactylus anamallensis — BOULENGER 1885: 175 Dravidogecko anamallensis — SMITH 1935: 82 Dravidogecko anamallensis — WERMUTH 1965: 27 Dravidogecko anamallensis — KLUGE 1993 Hemidactylus anamallensis — BAUER & RUSSELL 1995 Dravidogecko anamallensis — RÖSLER 2000: 78 Hemidactylus anamallensis — GIRI et al. 2008 Dravidogecko anamallensis — BANSAI & KARANTH 2013 |
| Distribution | S India (Valparai Plateau in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu) Type locality: Anamalay Hills, Southern India. Restricted to Valparai town in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, by Chaitanya et al. 2019. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Type: BMNH 1946.8.23.61, male |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Small sized geckos (average SVL 48.0 mm ± 6.2) that are dorsoventrally compressed (Fig 4A)and elongate (average TRL/SVL 0.47); dorsal pholidosis homogenous and de- void of enlarged tubercles—composed of small, rounded granules throughout; scales on snout and canthus rostralis larger than rest of head; eye with a vertical pupil possessing crenulated margins; ear opening elliptical or sometimes round; internasals divided by one or two smaller scales; two postnasals on either side; rostral wider than deep, usually without a median groove; supralabials 8–12 and infralabials 7–10 on each side, roughly rectangular; ventral scales flat, weakly pointed and sub-imbricate, 24–35 when counted at midbody; mental wider than long, triangular; two pairs of well-developed postmentals, inner pair usually longer than the outer and in strong contact with each other behind the mental; digits moderately short with relatively long, strongly clawed terminal phalanges that are curved and arise angularly from the distal portion of expanded lamellar pad; scansors beneath each digit undivided throughout (Fig 4C), in a straight transverse series, 7–10 under digit IV of manus and 9–13 under digit IV of pes; an uninterrupted series of 35–56 precloacofemoral pores that usually extends up to the knee (Fig 4B); females with enlarged lymphatic sacs [from Chaitanya et al. 2019: 11]. |
| Comment | Synonymy: BAUER & RUSSELL 1995 placed Dravidogecko in the synonymy of Hemidactylus. BANSAI & KARANTH 2013, as well as Chaitanya et al. 2019 suggested to resurrect Dravidogecko because it forms a clearly separate sister clade of Hemidactylus (although the latter authors included only 11 species of Hemidactylus in their molecular analysis). Shameer et al. 2021 coined the name Dravidogecko coonoorenis for a clade outside other species. However, they did not provide a description or other details, so this name remains a nomen nudum for the time being. Shameer et al. 2021 mentioned Dravidogecko coonoorensis (also misspelled coonoorenis in the same paper) without diagnosis or type specimens, hence Chaitanya 2022 considered this name as unavailable. Type species: Gecko anamallensis GÜNTHER 1875 is the type species of the genus Dravidogecko SMITH 1933. Key to species: Chiatanya et al. 2019: 43. Habitat: The Valparai Plateau is dominated by monoculture plantations such as tea, coffee and Eucalyptus that are sparsely interspersed with natural evergreen and riparian fragments. The natural vegetation in the region is classified as mid-elevation tropical wet evergreen forest of the Cullenia-Mesua-Palaquium type (Pascal 1988). Specimens of Dravidogecko anamallensis were chiefly found in abandoned buildings that were amidst natural vegetation. Distribution: restricted by Chaitanya et al. 2019; reports from Kerala likely represent other species. |
| Etymology | Named after the type locality. |
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