Hemidactylus quartziticolus KHANDEKAR, THACKERAY, MARIAPPAN, GANGALMALE, WAGHE, PAWAR & AGARWAL, 2023
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Hemidactylus quartziticolus
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Quartzite brookiish gecko, Thoothukudi brookiish gecko. |
| Synonym | Hemidactylus quartziticolus KHANDEKAR, THACKERAY, MARIAPPAN, GANGALMALE, WAGHE, PAWAR & AGARWAL 2023 |
| Distribution | India (Tamil Nadu) Type locality: near Jeya Parvathi Amman Kovil, Vallanadu Reserve Forest, Manakkarai (8.6848° N, 77.8696° E; ca. 120 m asl.), Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu state, India |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. NRC-AA-1256 (AK-R 1215), adult male, collected by Akshay Khandekar, Ishan Agarwal, Swapnil Pawar and team on 12 April 2022. Paratypes. (n = 9) NRC-AA-1257 (AK-R 1214), NRC-AA-1258 (AK-R 1218), adult males, same data as holotype; NRC-AA-1259 (AK-R 1220), NRC-AA-1260 (AK-R 1221) adult males, NRC-AA-1264 (AK-R 1216), adult female, same data as holotype except collected from the other side of Jeya Parvathi Amman Kovil, Manakkarai (8.6771° N, 77.8722° E; ca. 90 m asl.); NRC-AA-1261 (AK-R 1206), NRC-AA-1262 (AK-R 1207), NRC-AA-1263 (AK-R 1208), adult males, from Kurumalai Reserve Forest, Kurumalai (9.0919° N, 77.8543° E; ca. 130 m asl.); NRC-AA-1265 (AK-R 1209), adult female, from near Perumal Kovil, Kurumalai (9.0927° N, 77.8519° E; ca. 90 m asl.), Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu state, India, collected by same team on 10 April 2022. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. A small-sized Hemidactylus, snout to vent length less than 57 mm (n = 10); a single internasal scale behind rostral and between supranasals. Dorsal pholidosis heterogenous, composed of much smaller, subcircular, smooth and flattened granular scales intermixed with 18 regularly arranged rows of distinctly enlarged, subcircular, strongly keeled and pointed tubercles at midbody; tubercles largest on flanks; 18–20 paravertebral tubercles between forelimb and hindlimb insertions; ventral scales much larger than dorsal body granular scales, smooth, subimbricate, sub-equal from chest to vent, 24–29 scales across belly at mid-body, 48–54 longitudinal scales from fore arm insertions to anterior margin of cloaca; subdigital scansors smooth, mostly divided in oblique series; four lamellae under digit I of manus and pes, six or seven lamellae under digit IV of manus and pes; males with continuous series of 35–38 precloacal-femoral pores (n = 8/10); dorsal scales at tail base heterogeneous, granular scales similar in size and shape to those on mid-body dorsum, gradually becoming larger, pointed and subimbricate posteriorly, intermixed with series of 4–10 much enlarged, keeled, conical tubercles forming whorls; median row of sub-caudals smooth, enlarged, undivided, roughly rectangular, plate-like scales covering almost entire portion of the tail. Dorsal colouration beige to tan, scattered dark blotches on dorsum occasionally forming horizontal X-shaped markings on dorsum. (Khandekar et al. 2023) |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is a combination of the German noun “quartz” + the Latin suffix -ite (used to denote rocks and minerals) and the Latin suffix -cola that means inhabitant or dweller of, referring to the quartzite rock formations the new species inhabits. |
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