List of reptiles of South Asia

Last updated July 21, 2025

The following is a list of reptiles in and around the Indian subcontinent, primarily covering the South Asian countries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, parts of Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Island chains.

Order Crocodilia

Family Crocodilidae

Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar
Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) India (east coast and the Andamans), Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh

Family Gavialiidae

Gharial Gavialis gangeticus India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh

Order Testudines

Family Dermochelyidae

Leatherback sea turtle Dermochelys coriacea global

Family Cheloniidae

Loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta tropical regions
Green turtle Chelonia mydas tropical regions
Hawksbill sea turtle Eretmochelys imbricata tropical regions
Olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea tropical regions
Flatback sea turtle Natator depressus south-east Indonesia

Family Testudinidae

Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) India
Elongated tortoise (Indotestudo elongata) India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malay peninsula, Indo-China
Travancore tortoise (Indotestudo travancorica) Western Ghats
Asian brown tortoise (Manouria emys) India, Bangladesh, Malay region
Impressed tortoise (Manouria impressa) India (Arunachal Pradesh)
Central Asian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) Pakistan, Afghanistan

Family Geoemydidae

River terrapin Batagur baska India (Sundarbans, Bhitarkanika), Bangladesh, Malay peninsula, Indo-China, Sumatra
Malayan box turtle Cuora amboinensis India (Northeast, Nicobar Islands) Bangladesh, Malay peninsula, Indo-China, the Sundas, Maluku, Philippines
Asian leaf turtle Cyclemys dentata Northeast India, Bangladesh, China, Indo-China, Malay peninsula, Indo-Malay, the Sundas, Philippines
Oldham's leaf turtle Cyclemys oldhami Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand & Vietnam
Spotted pond turtle Geoclemys hamiltonii Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal
Cochin forest cane turtle Vijayachelys silvatica (=Geoemyda silvatica) Southwest India
Crowned river turtle Hardella thurjii Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
Three-striped roofed turtle Kachuga dhongoka North India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Painted roofed turtle Kachuga kachuga North India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Brown roofed turtle Kachuga smithii Pakistan, North India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Assam roofed turtle Kachuga sylhetensis Northeast India, Bangladesh
Indian roofed turtle Kachuga tecta Pakistan, North India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Indian tent turtle Kachuga tentoria India, Bangladesh
Tricarinate hill turtle Melanochelys tricarinata India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Indian black turtle Melanochelys trijuga India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand
Indian eyed turtle Morenia petersi Eastern India, Bangladesh
Malayan flat-shelled turtle Notochelys platynota
Keeled box turtle Pyxidea mouhotii
Arakan forest turtle Heosemys depressa

Family Trionychidae

Indian softshell turtle Aspideretes gangeticus Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Indian peacock softshell turtle Aspideretes hurum India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Leith's softshell turtle Aspideretes leithii Peninsular India
Black softshell turtle Aspideretes nigricans Chittagong city tank in southeast Bangladesh
Narrow-headed softshell turtle Chitra indica Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Indian flapshell turtle Lissemys punctata Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
Asian giant softshell turtle Pelochelys cantorii India (coasts), Malay peninsula, Indo-China, South China

Order Squamata

Suborder Lacertilia

Family Eublepharidae

Indian fat-tailed gecko Eublepharis fuscus Western India
Hardwicke's fat-tailed gecko Eublepharis hardwickii Eastern and central India
Pakistani leopard gecko Eublepharis macularius Pakistan, Northwest India

Family Gekkonidae

Böhme's mountain gecko Alsophylax boehmei
Baluch rock gecko Bunopus tuberculatus Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal
Indian golden gecko Calodactylodes aureus Eastern Ghats
Sri Lankan golden gecko Calodactylus illingworthi Sri Lanka
Assamese day gecko Cnemaspis assamensis , Assam
Beddome's day gecko Cnemaspis beddomei
Boie's day gecko Cnemaspis boiei
Goan day gecko Cnemaspis goaensis
Gund day gecko Cnemaspis heteropholis
Indian day gecko Cnemaspis indica
Indraneil day gecko Cnemaspis indraneildasii
Jerdon's day gecko Cnemaspis jerdonii
Kandy day gecko, Cnemaspis kandiana
Kolhapur day gecko, Cnemaspis kolhapurensis ^[1]
Coastal day gecko Cnemaspis littoralis
Ponmudi day gecko Cnemaspis nairi
Ornate day gecko Cnemaspis ornata
Cnemaspis otai
Sispara day gecko Cnemaspis sisparensis
Rough-bellied day gecko Cnemaspis tropidogaster
Wynaad day gecko Cnemaspis wynadensis
Yercaud day gecko Cnemaspis yercaudensis
Flat-tailed gecko Cosymbotus platyurus Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Indo-China, Malay region
Sind gecko Crossobamon orientalis
Cyrtodactylus adleri
Cyrtodactylus aravallensis
Kollegal ground gecko Geckoella collegalensis
Gunther's Indian gecko Cyrtodactylus deccanensis
Giant forest gecko Cyrtodactylus frenatus Sri Lanka
Sikkim bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus gubernatoris
Khasi Hills bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus khasiensis
Jammu bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus mansarulus
Geckoella nebulosa (=Gymnodactlus nebulosus, Cyrtodactylus nebulosus)
Cyrtodactylus nepalensis
Malayan forest gecko Cyrtodactylus pulchellus
Andamans bent-toed gecko Cyrtodactylus rubidus India (Andamans)
Frontier bow-fingered gecko Cyrtodactylus stoliczkai
Mediodactylus walli
Cyrtopodion baturensis
Banded bent-toed gecko Cyrtopodion fasciolatus
Himalayan bent-toed gecko Cyrtopodion himalayanus
Kutch gecko Cyrtopodion kachhensis
Lawder's bent-toed gecko Cyrtopodion lawderanus
Rough-tailed gecko Cyrtopodion scabrum
Siamese leaf-toed gecko Dixonius siamensis
Patinghe Indian gecko Geckoella jeyporensis
Devil gecko Geckoella yakhuna Sri Lanka
Four-clawed gecko Gehyra mutilata South India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indo-China, Malay region
Tokay gecko Gekko gekko Northeast India, Indo-China, China, Malay region
Smith's giant gecko Gekko smithii India (Nicobar), Myanmar, Thailand, Malay region
Andamanese giant gecko Gekko verreauxi India (Andamans)
White-striped viper gecko Hemidactylus albofasciatus
Hemidactylus anamallensis
Bowring's gecko Hemidactylus bowringii Eastern India, Myanmar, China
Brook's gecko Hemidactylus brookii Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Singapore, Malay region
Depressed gecko Hemidactylus depressus Sri Lanka
Yellow-spotted gecko Hemidactylus flaviviridis Pakistan, India, Iran
Asian house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus South India, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, China, Malay region, tropical areas
Giant leaf-toed gecko Hemidactylus giganteus
Garnott's gecko Hemidactylus garnotii Northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, Malay region
Graceful leaf-toed gecko Hemidactylus gracilis
Carrot-tail viper gecko Hemidactylus imbricatus
Marbled tree gecko Hemidactylus leschenaultii Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka
Burmese leaf-toed gecko Hemidactylus karenorum
Spotted rock gecko Hemidactylus maculatus Southwest India, Sri Lanka
Hemidactylus mahendrai
Smith's bent-toed gecko Hemidactylus malcolmsmithi
Persian leaf-toed gecko Hemidactylus persicus
Hemidactylus porbandarensis
Bombay leaf-toed gecko Hemidactylus prashadi
Reticulate leaf-toed gecko Hemidactylus reticulatus
Scaly gecko Hemidactylus scabriceps South India, Sri Lanka
Hemidactylus subtriedrus
Termite hill gecko Hemidactylus triedrus Pakistan, India
Mediterranean house gecko Hemidactylus turcicus
Hemiphyllodactylus aurantiacus
Indopacific tree gecko Hemiphyllodactylus typus
Mourning gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris
Andaman day gecko Phelsuma andamanense India (Andamans)
Nicobar gliding gecko Ptychozoon nicobarensis India (Nicobar)
Smooth-backed gliding gecko Ptychozoon lionotum

Family Agamidae

Laungwala long-headed lizard (Bufoniceps laungwalaensis) Rajasthan
Green crestless forest lizard (Calotes andamanensis) Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Orange-lipped forest lizard (Calotes aurantolabium) Southern Western Ghats, sp. nov.
Green forest lizard (Calotes calotes) South India, Sri Lanka
Emma gray's forest lizard (Calotes emma) northeast India.
Large scaled forest lizard (Calotes grandisquamis) Western Ghats
Jerdon's forest lizard (Calotes jerdoni) India (Khasi hills, Meghalaya), Myanmar, China
Khasi Hills forest lizard (Calotes maria) India, Bangladesh
Indo-Chinese forest lizard (Calotes mystaceus) Northeast India, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam
Nilgiri forest lizard (Calotes nemoricola) India
Black-lipped forest lizard (Calotes nigrilabris) Sri Lanka
Oriental garden lizard (Calotes versicolor) Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (Andamans), Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malay peninsula, Indo-China, China, Sumatra
Rough-horned lizard (Ceratophora aspera) Sri Lanka
Small-horned lizard (Cophotis ceylanica) Sri Lanka
Bay Islands forest lizard (Coryphophylax subcristatus) India (Andaman and Nicobar islands)
Blanford's flying lizard (Draco blanfordii) Northeast India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malay peninsula
South Indian flying lizard (Draco dussumieri) Western Ghats, India
Tubercled agama (Laudakia tuberculata) Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal
Hump-nosed lizard (Lyriocephalus scutatus) Sri Lanka
Elliot's forest lizard (Monilesaurus ellioti) India.
Roux forest lizard (Monilesaurus rouxii) India
Indian kangaroo lizard (Otocryptis beddomei) India
Sri Lankan kangaroo lizard (Otocryptis wiegmanni) Sri Lanka
Rock lizard (Psammophilus dorsalis) South India
Blanford's rock lizard (Psammophilus blanfordanus) South India
Horsfield's spiny lizard (Salea horsfieldii) South India
Anaimalai spiny lizard (Salea anamallayana) South India
Fan-throated lizard (Sitana ponticeriana) India
Sitana visiri
Sitana laticeps
Sitana spinaecephalus
Sarada darwini
Sarada superba
Sitana marudhamneydhal ^[2]
Agile agama (Trapelus agilis) Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northwest India
Indian spiny-tailed lizard (Uromastyx hardwickii) Pakistan, Northwest India

Family Chamaeleonidae

Indian chamaeleon Chamaeleo zeylanicus Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka

Family Dibamidae

Dibamus nicobaricum

Family Anguidae

Armoured glass snake Ophisaurus apodus Eurasia, Afghanistan, Pakistan
Eastern glass snake Dopasia gracilis India (Himalayas, Northeast), Myanmar

Family Scincidae

Note: Some authors move the Asian skinks of the genus Mabuya to Eutropis.^[3]

Minor snake-eyed skink Ablepharus grayanus
Asian snake-eyed skink Ablepharus pannonicus
Asymblepharus tragbulense
Barkud limbless skink Barkudia insularis India (East coast)
Barkudia melanosticta
Four-toed snake skink Chalcidoseps thwaitesii Sri Lanka
Chalcides pentadactylus
Dasia subcaeruleum Southwest India
Dasia johsinghi Southwest India,
Tree skink Dasia haliana Sri Lanka
Olive tree skink Dasia olivacea India (Nicobars), Myanmar, Indo-China, Malay region
Dasia nicobarensis
Olive tree skink Dasia olivacea
Boulenger's dasia Dasia subcaerulea
Schneider's skink Eumeces schneiderii (Daudin, 1802)
Eumeces blythianus
Poona skink Eurylepis poonaensis (Sharma, 1970)
Alpine Punjab skink Eurylepis taeniolatus Blyth, 1854
Sharma's mabuya Eutropis nagarjuni (Sharma, 1969) Andhra Pradesh
Kelaart's slender skink Lankascincus taprobanensis Sri Lanka
Big-eared lipinia Lipinia macrotympanum (Stoliczka, 1873)
Four-striped lipinia Lipinia quadrivittata (Peters, 1867)
White-spotted supple skink Lygosoma albopunctatum (Gray, 1846)
Lygosoma ashwamedhi Sharma, 1969
Christmas Island grass-skink Lygosoma bowringii (Günther, 1864)
Lygosoma goaensis (Sharma, 1976)
Günther's writhing skink Lygosoma guentheri (Günther, 1864)
Lygosoma lineata (Gray, 1839)
Lygosoma pruthi (Sharma, 1977)
Lygosoma punctata (Gmelin, 1799)
Vosmer's writhing skink Lygosoma vosmaeri (Gray, 1839)
Gunther's spotted skink Lygosoma guentheri Southwest India
Mabuya allapallensis Schmidt, 1926
Mabuya andamanensis Smith, 1935
Beddome's skink Mabuya beddomii (Jerdon, 1870) Southwest India, Sri Lanka
Bibron's skink Mabuya bibronii (Gray, 1838) Southeast India, Sri Lanka
Common keeled skink Mabuya carinata (Schneider, 1801) Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh
Inger's mabuya Mabuya clivicola Inger, Shaffer, Koshy & Bakde, 1984
Striped grass skink Mabuya dissimilis (Hallowell, 1857) Pakistan, North India
Mabuya gansi Das, 1991
Blanford's mabuya Mabuya innotata (Blanford, 1870)
Little Indian skink or bronze skink Mabuya macularia (Blyth, 1853) Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malay peninsula
Many-lined skink Mabuya multifasciata (Kuhl, 1820) Northeast India (Nicobars), China, Malay region
Nine-keeled skink Mabuya novemcarinata (Anderson, 1871) Northeast India, Myanmar, Malay peninsula
Four-keeled skink Mabuya quadricarinata Boulenger, 1887 Northeast India, Myanmar
Rough mabuya Mabuya rudis (Boulenger, 1887)
Nicobar Island skink Mabuya rugifera (Stoliczka, 1870)
Three-banded mabuya Mabuya trivittata (Hardwicke & Gray, 1827)
Tytler's mabuya Mabuya tytleri (Tytler, 1868)
Gray's snake skink Nessia burtonii Sri Lanka
Deraniyagala's snake skink Nessia deraniyagalai Sri Lanka
Two-toed snake skink Nessia didactylus Sri Lanka
Shark-headed snake skink Nessia hickanala Sri Lanka
Layard's snake skink Nessia layardi Sri Lanka
One-toed snake skink Nessia monodactylus Sri Lanka
Sarasin's snake skink Nessia sarasinorum Sri Lanka
Eastern sandfish Ophiomorus raithmai Anderson & Leviton, 1966 Pakistan, Northwest India
Three-toed snake skink Ophiomorus tridactylus (Blyth, 1853)
Ristella beddomii Boulenger, 1887
Günther's ristella Ristella guentheri Boulenger, 1887
Rurk's ristella Ristella rurkii Gray, 1839
Travancore ristella Ristella travancorica (Beddome, 1870)
Scincella beddomei (Boulenger, 1887)
Two-lined ground skink Scincella bilineata (Gray, 1846)
Ladakh supple skink Scincella ladacensis (Günther, 1864) North India, Nepal
Scincella macrotis (Steindachner, 1867)
Scincella palnica (Boettger, 1892)
Reeves' smooth gecko Scincella reevesii (Gray, 1838)
Sikkimese supple skink Scincella sikkimensis (Blyth, 1854) Eastern India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal
Scincella travancorica (Beddome, 1870)
Sepsophis punctatus Beddome, 1870
North Indian litter skink Sphenomorphus indicus (Gray, 1853) Tibet, India (Himalayas), Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Indo-China, China, Malay peninsula
Sphenomorphus courcyanum (Annandale, 1912)
Dussumier's forest skink Sphenomorphus dussumieri (Duméril & Bibron, 1839)
Spotted forest skink Sphenomorphus maculatus (Blyth, 1853)

Family Lacertidae

Blanford's fringe-fingered lizard Acanthodactylus blanfordii
Indian fringe-fingered lizard Acanthodactylus cantoris
Small-spotted lizard Mesalina guttulata
Beddome's snake-eye Ophisops beddomei
Snake-eyed lizard Ophisops elegans
Jerdon's snake-eye Ophisops jerdonii
Leschenault's snake-eye Ophisops leschenaultii
Ophisops microlepis
Deraniyagala's striped lacerta Ophisops minor India, Sri Lanka
Goalpara grass lizard Takydromus haughtonianus
Java grass lizard Takydromus khasiensis
Asian grass lizard Takydromus sexlineatus

Family Varanidae

Bengal monitor (Varanus bengalensis) Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar
Yellow monitor (Varanus flavescens) Pakistan, India, Nepal
Desert monitor (Varanus griseus) Caspian Sea, Pakistan, Northwest India
Water monitor (Varanus salvator) India, Sri Lanka, Indo-China, Malay region, Philippines

Suborder Sauria

Family Gymnothalmidae

Vanzosaura rubricauda (Boulenger, 1902)

Suborder Serpentes

See List of snakes of South Asia

Notes

↑ Giri VB, Bauer AM & KS Gaikwad (2009) A new ground-dwelling species of Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae). Zootaxa 2164: 49–60 PDF
↑ Deepak, V.; Khandekar, Akshay; Varma, Sandeep; Chaitanya, R. (2016). "Description of a new species of Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from southern India". Zootaxa. 4139 (2): 167. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4139.2.2.
↑ Das, Indraneil, A De Silva & C C Austin (2008) A new species of Eutropis (Squamata: Scincidae) from Sri Lanka. Zootaxa 1700: 35-52 PDF

References

Romulus Whitaker & Ashok Captain, (2004) Snakes of India: The Field Guide. Draco Books, Chennai.
Daniel, J.C.(2002) The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians. Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-566099-4
Aengals, R., Kumar, S., Palot M.J. & S.R. Ganesh. 2018. A checklist of reptiles of India.ZSI publication. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326580194_A_Checklist_of_Reptiles_of_India

External links

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[1] Giri VB, Bauer AM & KS Gaikwad (2009) A new ground-dwelling species of Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae). Zootaxa 2164: 49–60 PDF

[2] Deepak, V.; Khandekar, Akshay; Varma, Sandeep; Chaitanya, R. (2016). "Description of a new species of Sitana Cuvier, 1829 from southern India". Zootaxa. 4139 (2): 167. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4139.2.2.

[3] Das, Indraneil, A De Silva & C C Austin (2008) A new species of Eutropis (Squamata: Scincidae) from Sri Lanka. Zootaxa 1700: 35-52 PDF

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