''Cnemaspis cavernicola'', the cave-dwelling dwarf gecko, is a species of dwarf

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

that was found in Pakkamalai Reserve Forest in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, India. It is a small species, with

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

of and tail length of , giving a maximum total length of about .

Description

''Cnemaspis cavernicola'' is a small ''Cnemaspis'', with a

of less than 34 mm. The arrangement of scales on the dorsum is heterogeneous, with weakly keeled, granular scales in the vertebral and paravertebral regions, intermixed with about two or three regularly arranged rows of large, weakly keeled tubercles on each side of flank. The tubercles in lowest row are the largest and spine-like. There are 4–6 rows of dorsal tubercles. The ventral scales are smooth, subcircular, and subimbricate, with 28–32 scales across the belly and 116–125 longitudinal scales from the mental scale to the cloaca. The subdigital scansors are smooth, entire, and unnotched, with 10–12 total lamellae under digit I of manus and pes,15–19 lamellae under digit IV of manus, and 18–21 lamellae under digit IV of pes. Males have one or two femoral pores on each thigh, separated on either side by 8–10 poreless scales from a continuous series of three precloacal pores. The tail has enlarged, strongly keeled, distinctly pointed, conical tubercles forming whorls and a median row of smooth, distinctly enlarged subcaudals. The dorsum is grey-brown with a single medial dark spot on nape, followed by four light blotches from forelimb insertions to tail base. The tail has 12–14 alternating light and dark bars.

Distribution and habitat

''Cnemaspis cavernicola'' is known only from Pakkamalai Reserve Forest in the Gingee Hills in Viluppuram district, Tamil Nadu at elevations of around 400–480 m. Individuals were observed in small numbers in shaded and relatively cool areas among very large granite boulders.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q122919321 cavernicola Reptiles of India Endemic fauna of India Reptiles described in 2023 Taxa named by Ishan Agarwal Taxa named by Akshay Khandekar