Hemidactylus aaronbaueri GIRI, 2008
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Hemidactylus aaronbaueri
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Aaron Bauer’s House Gecko |
| Synonym | Hemidactylus aaronbaueri GIRI 2008 Hemidactylus aaronbaueri — LIVIGNI 2013: 305 |
| Distribution | India (Maharashtra) Type locality: On the rock cliffs near Ghatghar, Taluka Junnar, District Pune, Maharashtra, India (19°17’28 N, 73°40’36 E; 248 m elevation) |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: BNHS = BNHM 1739, adult male |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A large Hemidactylus, snout-vent length at least 128 mm; 18–20 rows of irregularly arranged, enlarged, rounded and feebly keeled dorsal tubercles; first labial touching nasal; two well developed pairs of postmentals, the inner pair elongate and larger than outer; ventrolateral folds not clearly visible; ca. 41–43 scale rows across venter between lowest rows of tubercles; 12–13 enlarged scansors beneath fourth toe of pes; digits with indistinct basal webs; ca. 19 femoral pores on each side separated by at least six scales in adult males; original tail tuberculate, with median subcaudal scales forming broad transverse plates; dorsal pattern comprising a series of dark, transverse undulating crossbars bordered anteriorly and posteriorly with pale cream, first on nape followed by four more, all bands inconspicuous on flanks; and tail alternately banded with pale and dark brown. Hemidactylus aaronbaueri sp. nov. may be distinguished from all other mainland Indian congeners on the basis of (sympatric taxa with differing or non-overlapping character states indicated parenthetically): 18–20 rows of enlarged, rounded, feebly keeled dorsal tubercles (usually few in number, sometimes absent in H. leschenaultii, with fewer enlarged tubercles, more often absent altogether in H. flaviviridis, no enlarged tubercles in H. giganteus, large trihedral tubercles arranged in 20 fairly regular longitudinal rows in H. maculatus, conical, keeled, or subtrihedral tubercles arranged in from 16–20 more of less regular longitudinal series in H. brookii), femoral pores in male 15–19 on each side separated by six scales (10–17 in H. leschenaultii, 5–7 in H. flaviviridis, 16–22 femoral pores separated by eight scales in H. giganteus, 19–25 femoral pores on each side in H. maculatus, from 7–12 (16) preano-femoral pores on each side, usually interrupted mesially in H. brookii (Smith, 1935, Giri et al., 2003, pers. obs.) The new species is most similar in general appearance to Hemidactylus giganteus, but differ with respect to (H. giganteus vs. H. aaronbaueri sp. nov.): maximum size (115 vs. 128 mm SVL), dorsal pholidosis (uniform smooth granules without enlarged tubercles vs. 18–20 rows of enlarged, rounded tubercles), tail (covered above with uniform small scales versus small scales and a series of eight rows of enlarged dorsal tubercles), scansors beneath the fourth toe (13–15 vs. 11–13). |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The species name is a patronym, applied in the genitive singular case, honouring Dr. Aaron M. Bauer of Villanova University for his major contribution towards work on systematics and morphology of the lizards, especially geckos. Aaron Bauer has described more new species than any other living herpetologist (Uetz 2010). |
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