Hemidactylus depressus Gray, 1842

Batuwita, Sudesh & Pethiyagoda, Rohan, 2012, Rediscovery of the Sri Lankan ‘ house gecko’ Hemidactylus pieresii Kelaart (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) with a redescription of Hemidactylus depressus Gray, Zootaxa 3359, pp. 17-30 : 23-26

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.210839
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5665228
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/950F8979-0312-3E29-2E88-E6B1FD08F8BE
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Hemidactylus depressus Gray, 1842
status

Treatment

( Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1. A C, 1D, 4A–D, 5A–E, Table 2)

Hemidactylus depressus Gray, 1842 Nubilia argentii Gray, 1845

Material examined. BMNH RR1962.190, lectotype (here designated), male, locality unknown, restricted to Sri Lanka by E. H. Taylor (1953); paralectotype. BMNH XXI.22.b, male, locality unknown, restricted to Sri Lanka by E. H. Taylor (1953); BMNH XXII.32.a, female, ‘Singapore’(error), type of Nubilia argentii ; NMSL WHT 0 889, female, Rumasswala, Galle, 06°01’N, 80°14’E; 5 m, collected 17 December 1994 by M. M. Bahir; NMSL WHT 7575, male, Giritale, 07°59’N, 80°55E; 30 m, collected 25 August 1998 by S. Batuwita; NMSL WHT 7576, male, Warakawehera, Kurunegala, 07°30’N, 80°29’E; 100 m, collected 27 February 2006 by S. Batuwita; NMSL WHT 7577, male, Kariwilakotuwa, Buttala, 06°40’N, 81°15’E, 160 m, collected 12 March 2006 by S. Batuwita; NMSL WHT 7578, Sandagala, Tissamaharama, 06°20’30’’N, 81°16’00’’E, 100 m, collected 20 August 2005 by S. Batuwita; NMSL WHT 7579, Penideniya, Peradeniya, 07°15’N, 80°35’E, 450 m, collected 0 7 August 2003 by S. Batuwita; NMSL WHT 7580, Kalugala, Alauwa, 07°15’N, 80°16’E, 300 m, collected 19 April 2006 by S. Batuwita.

Diagnosis. Hemidactylus depressus differs from its peninsular-Indian and Sri Lankan congeners by the combination of the following characters. Maximum SVL 76.5 mm; paired postmentals broadly in contact each other; each postmental bounded by 3 scales including medial scale; tubercles in paravertebral row, from occipital region to midsacrum, 35–41; longitudinal rows of middorsal tubercles, 13–16; ventral scales across midbody, 28–36; dorsal scales heterogeneous; ventrals smooth; femoral pores, 15–19 on each side, separated mesially by 2–4 scales; subcaudals smooth, median row enlarged; supralabials to angle of jaws, 9–14; subdigital lamellae on digit IV of pes, 10–11; coloration in life yellowish brown; midbody (from nape to sacrum) with 5 dark markings; venter white or yellow; yellow lateral band on head.

This species is closely related to Hemidactylus pieresii (see diagnosis of H. pieresii for comparison).

Description. (Based on topotype, WHT 7577; data for remainder of series (7 ex.) given in brackets.) Adult male, SVL 65.6 mm (for measurements, see Table 2). Head relatively short (head length 26.8 [26.1–29.5]% SVL), wide (head width 73.3 [64.2–77.3]% head length), depressed (head height 39.8 [36.5–44.6]% head length), distinct from neck. Canthus rostralis moderate. Snout relatively long (snout length 40.3 [38.1–41.3]% head length), longer than eye diameter (eye diameter 64.8 [53.3–64.8]% snout length), longer than eye to ear distance (eye to ear distance 77.5 [66.7–77.5]% snout length). Eye to ear distance greater than diameter of eye (eye diameter 83.6 [72.7–86.7]% eye to ear distance). Nostril to eye distance subequal to eye to ear distance (eye to ear distance 100 [85.3–100]% nostril to eye distance); (interorbital width moderate (interorbital width 39.2 [27.3–39.2]% head length). Scales on snout and forehead convex, granular, much larger than those on occipital region. Eye relatively small (eye diameter 26.1 [20.6–26.1]% head length); pupil vertical. Supraciliaries short, obtuse. Ear opening oval, small (ear length 5.7 [5.7–10.9]% head length). Rostral wider (2.7 [2.7–3.2] mm) than deep (1.6 [1.5–2.1] mm) ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 A), incompletely divided dorsally by a weakly-developed rostral groove. Three [2–3] enlarged supranasals, narrowly in contact each other ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 A). Rostral in contact with first supralabial and supranasal ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 A). Nostrils oval, dorsolaterally orientated, each in broad contact with rostral and supranasal, first supralabial and three postnasals. Mental subpentagonal, wider (3.0 [2.9–3.4] mm) than deep (2.5 [2.4–2.6] mm) ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 B). Two pairs of enlarged postmentals. First pair in broad medial contact, with no intervening granules, as long as wide, bordered laterally by first and second infralabials and secondary postmental ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 B). Throat scales small, granular. Supralabials to angle of jaws, 10 [9–13]; infralabials to angle of jaws, 10 [9–11]. Interorbital scale rows across narrowest point of frontal bone, 13 [10–16].

Body elongate, relatively robust (trunk length 56.6 [55.9–61.3]% SVL) ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4. A –C). Dorsal scales heterogeneous, intermixed with keeled, subtrihedral ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 C), relatively large tubercles extending from parietal region on to back and base of tail. Tubercles most prominent on dorsolateral surface, somewhat smaller and more conical on nape; keeled tubercles in 14 [13–16] longitudinal rows at midbody ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1. A C, D); saggital fold present ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1. A C, 4A, B, D), parasaggital row of tubercles present ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1. A C, D); 39 [35–41] tubercles on paravertebral row from parietal region to midsacrum. Ventral scales much larger than dorsal, cycloid, with three serrations ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 D), imbricate to subimbricate, largest under thighs, between femoral pores, and around vent, somewhat larger on abdomen than on pectoral; somewhat enlarged scales posterior to femoral pores. Midbody scale rows across belly between ventrolateral folds, 33 [28–36]. Ventrolateral folds prominent, denticulate ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C). Scales on throat small, granular, grading into larger scales in gular region. Interrupted series of 16 [17–19] (left side) and 15 [15–18] (right side) precloacal-femoral pores separated mesially by three [2–4] poreless scales in males ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 E).

Fore and hind limbs relatively short, stout ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4. A –C). Forearm short (forearm length 14.6 [12.1–15.2]% SVL). Tibia short (tibia length 15.7 [15.1–16.7]% SVL) ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4. A ). Dorsal scales of upper arm smooth, imbricate; ventral scales granular; some lateral scales imbricate, others granular. Lower arm with granular scales on dorsal and ventral surfaces; lateral scales imbricate. Thigh scales heterogeneous, dorsally covered by granules intermixed with conical tubercles ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4. A , C); lateral surface with imbricate scales. Ventral scales of thigh imbricate. Scales on dorsal surface of shank heterogeneous, granular scales intermixed with conical tubercles; ventral and lateral surfaces with imbricate scales. No distinct web at angle between thigh and shank ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 E). Scales on palm and sole granular. Digits relatively short, all bearing claws; first, second and terminal subdigital lamellae entire, notched, rest divided; lamellae on finger I, 7 [7,8], finger II, 9 [9], finger III, 10 [9 or10], finger IV, 10 [10], finger V, 9 [9 or 10]; toe I, 7 [6 or 7], toe II, 10 [8–10], toe III, 11 [10 or 11], toe IV, 11 [10 or 11], toe V, 11 [9–11]; interdigital webbing rudimentary; relative length of digits (manus): IV ~ II> III> V> I; (pes) IV ~ II> III> V> I.

Tail broken in WHT 7577; tail of WHT 889, 7579, 7580 longer than SVL (tail length 104.1–107.0% SVL), oval in cross section. Dorsal scales imbricate. Enlarged tubercles arranged in regular whorls ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4. A , B); dorsal with enlarged whorls of scales arranged in 6 [5–8] scales per whorl anteriorly, becoming reduced towards tail tip. Subcaudal scales one-third of width of tail, with a single median series of enlarged plates. Cloacal spurs absent.

Coloration (in preservative). Dorsum light yellow to light brown, with about 5 distinct, darker dorsal bands on body; tail banded; venter whitish.

Distribution. This species is mostly confined to the dry zone of Sri Lanka, but where it does occur within the wet zone it is most frequent in anthropogenic habitats. The range of Hemidactylus depressus extends northwards at least up to Mankulam (9.129°N, 80.446°E).