''Hemidactylus pieresii'' 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 ...

. It is endemic to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Taxonomy

It was synonymized with ''

Hemidactylus depressus ''Hemidactylus depressus'', also known as Sri Lanka leaf-nosed gecko or Kandyan gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka. Description Head large with large granules, especially on snout. Mid-ventrals 36–40. Digits webbed at b ...

'' by Smith in 1935 but removed from the synonymy by Batuwita & Pethiyagoda in 2012.

Distribution

It is endemic to Sri Lanka and found in Kandy, Hiniduma, Yattapatha, Pitadeniya, Sinaharaja, Kalugala and Gannoruwa areas.

Description

Maximum snout-vent length is 79.2 mm. Body moderately elongate, relatively robust. Body chocolate brown. Fore limbs and hind limbs are relatively short and stout. Nape with distinct black longitudinal stripes. Venter is dusky white. There is a yellow lateral band runs from snout to back of head. Presence of 53–58 para-vertebral tubercles, 17–19 longitudinal rows of mid-dorsal tubercles, small and closely spaced mid-dorsal tubercles. Ventral and sub-caudal scales are smooth. Digits relatively short and all bearing claws. Tail has strongly keeled tubercles which are arranged in whorls. Cloacal spur with two enlarged tubercles.

References

Hemidactylus Reptiles of Sri Lanka Endemic fauna of Sri Lanka Taxa named by Edward Frederick Kelaart Reptiles described in 1852 {{Hemidactylus-stub