Ponmudi day gecko

Ponmudi day gecko
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Gekkota
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Cnemaspis
Species:	C. nairi
Binomial name
Cnemaspis nairi Inger, Marx & Koshy, 1984

The Ponmudi day gecko (Cnemaspis nairi), also known commonly as the Ponmudi rock gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to India. ^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, nairi, is in honor of Indian naturalist S. Madhavan Nair. ^[3]

Geographic range

Cnemaspis nairi is found in the Indian state of Kerala. The holotype, from which the species was originally described, was collected at Ponmudi. ^[2]

Habitat

The preferred habitat of Cnemaspis nairi is evergreen forests and semi-evergreen forests at elevations of 280 to 925 m (919 to 3,035 ft). ^[4]

Description

Cnemaspis nairi may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 40 mm (1.6 in). Dorsally, it is gray with black and white markings. Ventrally, it is grayish brown. The tail has alternating rings of black and yellowish olive. ^[4]

Reproduction

Cnemaspis nairi is oviparous. ^[2]

References

1. Srinivasulu B, Srinivasulu C (2013). "Cnemaspis nairi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T172619A1353329. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T172619A1353329.en. Downloaded on 4 January 2018.
2. Cnemaspis nairi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 12 June 2019.
3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Ponmudi Rock Gecko Cnemaspis nairi, p. 187).
4. Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN   0-88359-056-5. (Cnemaspis nairi, p. 87).

Further reading

• Chandramouli, S.R.; Ganesh, S.R. (2010). "Herpetofauna of southern Western Ghats, India – Reinvestigated after decades". Taprobanica. 2 (2): 8–21.
• Inger RF, Marx H, Koshy M (1984). "An Undescribed Species of Gekkonid Lizard (Cnemaspis) from India with Comments on the Status of C. tropidogaster ". Herpetologica40 (2): 149–154. (Cnemaspis nairi, new species).
• Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota2: 28–153. (in German).
• Venugopal, P.D. (2010). "An updated and annotated list of Indian lizards (Reptilia: Sauria) based on a review of distribution records and checklists of Indian reptiles". Journal of Threatened Taxa. 2 (3): 725–738. (Cnemaspis nairi, p. 729).