Two new species of bent-toed geckos of the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 from the western Himalayas

The members of the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray (1827) have received unprecedented attention in India in the recent past, especially in northeast India and the eastern Himalayas. However, the western Himalayas have, and in large, been less well-investigated. A recent herpetological survey in the western Himalayas led to the discovery of two new species from the states of Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh.

The phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial NADH subunit 2 gene indicates that the new species belong to the C. lawderanus group. The new species from Jammu and Kashmir is most similar to C. chamba Agarwal, Khandekar & Bauer 2018 and the one from Himachal Pradesh to C. lawderanus (Stoliczka 1871) in general appearance. The new species differ from previously described taxa to which they are allied in several morphological features, in addition to exhibiting substantial DNA sequence divergence.