Cnemaspis otai

Cnemaspis otai, also known commonly as Ota's day gecko or the Vellore day gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southeastern India.

Cnemaspis otai
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Cnemaspis
Species:	C. otai
Binomial name
Cnemaspis otai Das & Bauer, 2000

Etymology

The specific name, otai, is in honor of Japanese herpetologist Hidetoshi Ota (born 1959).[2]

Geographic range

C. otai is found in the southern Eastern Ghats in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.[3]

The type locality is "Vellore Fort, Vellore, North Arcot District, Tamil Nadu, India".[3]

Habitat

The preferred habitat of C. otai is forest at altitudes of 200–225 m (656–738 ft).[1]

Description

C. otai may attain a snout-to-vent length of 3 cm (1.2 in). Dorsally, it is grayish brown with black spots. Ventrally, it is yellowish cream.[4]

Behavior

C. otai is diurnal and rock-dwelling.[4]

Reproduction

C. otai is oviparous.[3]

References

1. Srinivasulu C, Srinivasulu B (2013). "Cnemaspis otai ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T194098A2298396. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T194098A2298396.en. Downloaded on 04 January 2018.
2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Cnemaspis otai, p. 197).
3. Species Cnemaspis otai at The Reptile Database
4. Das I (2002). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of India. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-056-5. (Cnemaspis otai, p. 88).

Further reading

• Das I, Bauer AM (2000). "Two New Species of Cnemaspis (Sauria: Gekonidae) from Tamil Nadu, Southern India". Russian Journal of Herpetology 7 (1): 17–28. (Cnemaspis otai, new species).
• Ganesh SR, Kalaimani A, Karthik P, Baskaran N, Nagarajan R, Chandramouli SR (2018). "Herpetofauna of Southern Eastern Ghats, India – II From Western Ghats to Coromandel Coast". Asian Journal of Conservation Biology 7 (1): 28–45.