Revisiting the type of Cyrtopodion aravallense (Gill, 1997): redescription of the species with comments on the genus

Abstract

Cyrtopodion aravallense (Gill, 1997) is a poorly known species, known only from the holotype and original description. I re-examined the holotype housed in the museum of Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai and find some discrepancies between the original description and the holotype. Here, I redescribe the holotype of C. aravallense in greater detail and provide a revised diagnosis of the species. It is distinguished from all its congeners in having enlarged, regularly arranged transverse rows of 15 trihedral tubercles; 25–26 midbody scale rows across belly; 102 midventral scales; males with 6 precloacal pores, 7–8 femoral pores on each side separated by 3–5 poreless scales between precloacal and femoral pores.