''Cnemaspis avasabinae'', or Sabin's Nellore dwarf gecko, is a species of

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 throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

endemic to India. It is found in the Eastern Ghats.

Description

The species is distinct from all other ''

Cnemaspis ''Cnemaspis'' is a genus of diurnal (day) geckos found in Asia. With over 100 species, it is one of the most diverse genera of geckos. Molecular phylogenies suggest that the two regional groupings may form distinct clades which are not each oth ...

'' species in its small size of 29 mm (or slightly more than 1⅛ in.) from snout to vent. It is coloured grey-pink on the dorsal (back) side and has six pairs of dark brown patches running down its back. Notably, the males of this species lack

femoral pores Femoral pores are a part of a holocrine secretory gland found on the inside of the thighs of certain lizards and amphisbaenians which releases pheromones to attract mates or mark territory. In certain species only the male has these pores and in ...

Habitat

The gecko is currently known from only one locality in Andhra Pradesh's Nellore district, in the

Velikonda Range The Velikonda Range or Velikonda Hills is a low mountain range, that form part of the Eastern Ghats mountain range system, in eastern India. The Velikonda Range is located in the south-eastern part of Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, ab ...

of the Eastern Ghats. The locality is near a

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

in a dry evergreen forest at an elevation of 200 m above sea level.

Habit

The gecko is rock-dwelling, and is active at and just after dusk.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q99703198 avasabinae Reptiles of India Endemic fauna of India Reptiles described in 2020 Taxa named by Ishan Agarwal Taxa named by Aaron M. Bauer Taxa named by Akshay Khandekar