OPEN ACCESS The Journal of Threatened Taxa is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use of artcles in any medium, reproducton, and distributon by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Article Appearances are deceptive: molecular phylogeny recovers the Scaly Gecko Hemidactylus scabriceps (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) as a member of a scansorial and rupicolous clade Achyuthan N. Srikanthan, Gandla Chethan Kumar, Aishwarya J. Urs & Sumaithangi Rajagopalan Ganesh 26 August 2018 | Vol. 10 | No. 9 | Pages: 12147–12162 10.11609/jot.3964.10.9.12147-12162 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies and Guidelines visit htp://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines visit htp://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct visit htp://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints contact <[email protected]> Publisher & Host Partners Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2018 | 10(9): 12147–12162 Article Appearances are deceptive: molecular phylogeny recovers the Scaly Gecko Hemidactylus scabriceps (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) as a member of a scansorial and rupicolous clade ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Achyuthan N. Srikanthan 1 , Gandla Chethan Kumar 2 , Aishwarya J. Urs 3 & 4 Sumaithangi Rajagopalan Ganesh OPEN ACCESS 1 Center for Ecological Sciences, Indian Insttute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560012, India 2 Wildlife Biology and Taxonomy Lab, Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Telangana 500007, India 2 Wildlife Insttute of India, Post Box #18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Utarakhand 248001, India 3 No. 94, 5th Cross, Raghavendra Colony, Vidyaranyapura, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560097, India 4 Chennai Snake Park, Rajbhavan Post, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600022, India 1 [email protected] (corresponding author), 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected] Abstract: We reassess the systematcs of Hemidactylus scabriceps, a recently rediscovered and poorly known gecko, and elucidate its phylogenetc positon using molecular data for the frst tme. Contrary to previous speculatons prompted by its morphological resemblance to other terrestrial Hemidactylus, our phylogenetc analyses recovered H. scabriceps to be a part of a clade consistng of the large-bodied, rock-dwelling Hemidactylus – the H. prashadi group. Hemidactylus scabriceps also shows high levels of intraspecifc genetc divergence, indicatve of cryptc diversity. We also confrm the synonymy of the monotypic genus Lophopholis (erected for H. scabriceps) with Hemidactylus. We elaborate on the morphology of the type specimen and other recent voucher specimens, and compare it with sister species and other ground-dwelling Hemidactylus in peninsular India. Species distributon of this ‘outlier’ clade member has been modeled using MaxEnt. These exercises confrm that it is primarily a smooth-scaled, plain-dwelling, terrestrial species unlike other members in its clade. This unexpected patern of genetc alliance and contrastng body form plus habitat associatons further underscores the unstudied complexity of peninsular India’s geological history. Historical denudaton of rock formatons could have driven evoluton of some of these otherwise rupicolous, scansorial gekkonids into smaller terrestrial lizards. Keywords: Clade member, distributon modeling, habitat associatons, Indian dry zone, morphology, phylogenetc positon, rock dwelling. DOI: htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3964.10.9.12147-12162 | ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:03BEA8A8-A142-4E6A-AE94-CBEFF5C8D656 Editor: Salvador Carranza, Insttute of Evolutonary Biology (CSIC-UPF), Barcelona, Spain. Date of publicaton: 26 August 2018 (online & print) Manuscript details: Ms # 3964 | Received 18 December 2017 | Final received 01 June 2018 | Finally accepted 02 August 2018 Citaton: Srikanthan, A.N., G.C. Kumar, A.J. Urs & S.R. Ganesh (2018). Appearances are deceptve: molecular phylogeny recovers the Scaly Gecko Hemidactylus scabri- ceps (Reptlia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) as a member of a scansorial and rupicolous clade. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(9): 12147–12162; htps://doi.org/10.11609/ jot.3964.10.9.12147-12162 Copyright: © Srikanthan et al. 2018. Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this artcle in any medium, reproducton and distributon by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publicaton. Funding: None. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. For Author Details, Author Contributon and Acknowledgements see end of this artcle. 12147 Molecular phylogeny recovers Hemidactylus scabriceps Srikanthan et al. INTRODUCTION Teratolepis with Hemidactylus based on a multlocus molecular phylogeny and mentoned the possible close Hemidactylus Oken, 1817 is one of the most speciose relatonship of H. scabriceps with H. imbricatus (Image gekkonid genera in the world, with about 150 congeners 5), along with other small-bodied, ground-dwelling currently recognized, of which around 34 are found endemic geckos such as H. albofasciatus, H. gracillis and in India (Carranza & Arnold 2006; Giri & Bauer 2008; H. retculatus, which themselves are genetcally-tested Bauer et al. 2010; Uetz & Hošek 2018; Chaitanya et al. clade members (Bansal & Karanth 2010). 2018). The Indian Hemidactylus are part of a tropical Since its descripton, H. scabriceps was not re-sighted Asian radiaton, and consist of fve major clades - H. for 104 years tll an uncollected specimen was reported prashadi, H. faviviridis, H. brookii, H. frenatus and H. from Mayiladuthurai in the Coromandel Coastal Plains platyurus groups (Bansal & Karanth 2010). Of these, the (Ganesh & Chandramouli 2010). More recently, H. brookii group encompasses all the thus-far sampled Ganesh et al. (2017) dug up some obscure publicatons ground-dwelling Hemidactylus that are found in central reportng this species under a wrong name, described and peninsular India (Bansal & Karanth 2010; 2013). a series of preserved specimens including its hemipenal Previous studies show that the ground dwelling clade of morphology, provided natural history notes and mapped geckos are sister to H. brookii, the clade that consists of its locality based on newer feldwork. Hemidactylus fve currently recognized terrestrial species namely H. scabriceps, however, stll remains an intriguing gecko retculatus Beddome, 1870, H. albofasciatus Grandison for both Indian and Sri Lankan herpetologists due to its & Soman, 1963, H. satarensis Giri & Bauer, 2008, H. assumed rarity and unknown phylogenetc relatonships, imbricatus Bauer, Giri, Greenbaum, Jackman, Dharne since it is underrepresented and poorly sampled (Bauer & Shouche, 2008, H. gracilis Blanford, 1870 (Bansal & et al. 2010). In this paper, we provide for the frst tme Karanth 2010). Hemidactylus scabriceps was considered data on its phylogenetc positon, elaborate on its to be closely related to the ground-dwelling Hemidactylus morphology, habitat associatons and distributon. due to its superfcial morphological similarites such as a reduced subdigital scansorial apparatus, imbricate tail scales, reduced subcaudal scales and a terrestrial MATERIALS AND METHODS lifestyle (Bauer et al. 2010). Similar assumptons were made for Dravidogecko anamallensis (Günther, 1875) Specimens of H. scabriceps were opportunistcally which was later resolved and found to be sister to the collected from three ecoregions: Coimbatore plateau, Indian Hemidactylus radiaton (Bansal & Karanth 2013). Thanjavur delta and Kalakad foothills, abutng Western In the past, H. scabriceps has been misidentfed on many Ghats in peninsular India. The specimens were deposited occasions with other marginally co-occurring terrestrial in the collectons of BNHS (Bombay Natural History congeners such as H. retculatus, despite its distnctve Society, Mumbai), IISc - CES (Indian Insttute of Science, scalaton (Ganesh et al. 2017). Bengaluru - Center for Ecological studies), and IISER Annandale (1906) originally described this species as (Indian Insttute of Science, Educaton and Research, Teratolepis scabriceps based on its imbricate scalaton, Thiruvananthapuram). Tissue samples were collected as the second congener next to T. fasciatus (currently from the tail tps and liver of the specimens and sent for H. imbricatus, afer Bauer et al. 2008). Later, a new molecular analysis and sequencing at the Indian Insttute monotypic genus Lophopholis was erected by Smith & of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and Osmania University, Deraniyagala, 1934 to accommodate this species as it Hyderabad. The geographic coordinates of the localites was considered quite unique (Smith 1935). Parker & were obtained from Garmin 62 GPS. Other comparatve Taylor (1942) reassigned the species back to Teratolepis materials, including the type specimens, were examined along with various other African geckos such as H. isolepis at the Natural History Museum,