Genus Cyrtopodion is a multifarious group of Asian geckos comprising of about 37 species at present. The Cyrtopodion himalayanus (Himalayan Bent-toed Gecko) is a species of gecko group found in state of Jammu and Kashmir (District: Doda & Kishtwar of Jammu Division) the northern state of India. The species previously was placed under the genus Cyrtodactylus.
Scientific classification
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Kingdom:
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Animalia
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Phylum:
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Chordata
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Class:
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Reptilia
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Order:
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Squamata
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Family:
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Gekkonidae
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Genus:
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Cyrtopodion
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species:
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himalayanus
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Binomial name
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Cyrtodactylus himalayanus (Duda & Sahi, 1978)
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The distinguishing features of species according to
Manhas et al., (2018) are as: greyish body with dark brown reticulation; brown
head with a distinct streak from nape to snout passing through eye on each
side; inverted snout; small nostrils placed dorso-laterally; ten upper-labials;
eight lower-labials; snout longer than the distance between the eye and ear
opening; ear opening sub-oval; clawed digits; claws embedded between two large
shields. The body length of the species reported from the type locality ranged
from 115 mm to 140 mm.
Variations in various
characteristics of specimens of species
Cyrtopodion himalayanum as per
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Characteristics
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Range
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Full body length
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115 mm–136 mm
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Snout-vent length
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61.89 mm–68.79 mm
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Tail length
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53.11 mm–67.21 mm
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Head width
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11.75 mm–14.91 mm
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Head length
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16.35 mm–21.38 mm
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Snout to mouth length
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12.13 mm–14.58 mm
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Intra-orbital distance
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1.86 mm–3.10 mm
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Eye diameter
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5.22 mm–5.45 mm
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Nostril to eye length
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5.35 mm–6.16 mm
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Ear diameter
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1.89 mm–2.80 mm
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Nostril to ear length
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13.86 mm–15.79 mm
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Forearm length
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17.80 mm–20.81 mm
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Hind arm length
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14.97 mm–17.87 mm
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Supralabial scales
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10/10
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Infralabial scales
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8/8
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Literature Cited:
Agarwal, I., Khandekar, A., and Aaron, M.B. (2018). A new bent-toed gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from the Western Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, India, Zootaxa, 4446 (4): 442–454 - get paper here
Boulenger, G.A. (1890). The Fauna of British India: Reptilia and Batrachia. Taylor and Francis, London, England.
Duda, P.L., Sahi, D.N. (1978). Cyrtodactylus himalayanus: A new Gekkonid species from Jammu, India. Journal of Herpetology, 12(3): 351–354.
Kluge, A.G. (1993). Gekkonoid Lizard Taxonomy. International Gecko Society, San Diego, 245pp.
Krysko, K.L., Rehman, H., and Auffenberg, K. (2007). A new species of Cyrtopodion (Gekkonidae: Gekkoninae) from Pakistan. Herpetologica, 63 (1): 100-113 - get paper here
Manhas, A., Raina, R. and Wanganeo, A. 2018. Range extension of Cyrtopodion himalayanus Duda and Sahi, 1978 (Reptilia: Sauria) in Jammu Province of State Jammu And Kashmir from District Doda, Northern India. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 12 (1) [General Section]:48-51 (e156).
Rösler, H. (2000). Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha). Gekkota, 2: 28-153
Sahi, D.N. (1979). A contribution to the herpetology of Jammu and Kashmir State. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
Smith, M.A. (1935). The Fauna of British India. Volume II. Sauria. Taylor and Francis, London, England.
Uetz, P., and Hosek, J. (2015). The Reptile Database. Available: http://www.reptile-database.org [Accessed: 6 February 2015].
