Cyrtopodion kachhense, also known commonly as the Kachh gecko, the warty rock gecko, the ingoldbyi western ground gecko, and Ingoldby's stone gecko, is a species of gecko in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to South Asia.
Taxonomy
Originally described as Gymnodactylus kachhensis by Ferdinand Stoliczka in 1872, this species was later reassigned to the genus Tenuidactylus and then to the genus Cyrtopodion. Because Cyrtopodion is neuter in gender, the specific name was changed from the masculine kachhensis to kachhense to agree in gender.
Description
C. kachhense is a small to medium-sized angular-toed gecko with a snout-vent length of 30–60 mm. It has a light gray to brown or bluish dorsal coloration with 5–7 transverse rows of M-shaped dark spots or blotches, a barred tail with 10–12 dark bands, and medially-directed trihedral pyramidal dorsal tubercles.
Subspecies
Two subspecies are recognized:
- Cyrtopodion kachhense ingoldbyi (Procter, 1923) — named after Captain Christopher Martin Ingoldby (1887–1927), a British Army Medical Services officer and zoological specimen collector.
- Cyrtopodion kachhense kachhense (Stoliczka, 1872) — the nominotypical subspecies.
Geographic Range
The species is found in Pakistan (Sindh, Balochistan), adjacent India (Kachchh, Gujarat), and Iran. The subspecies C. k. ingoldbyi is widely distributed in the Sulaiman Range extending into the Waziristan Hills, along the western border of Punjab, Pakistan. The type locality is Ladha, Dera Ismael Khan District, Pakistan.
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats are caves, rocky areas, and shrubland.
Reproduction
C. kachhense is oviparous (egg-laying).
Conservation Status
The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2021).
