First Record of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from the Eastern Himalayas

The gekkonid lizard genus Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 is represented by seven species in India, six of which are patchily distributed across montane habitats of peninsular India and one in Andaman and Nicobar islands. Here we report the occurrence of Hemiphyllodactylus sp. in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India. This is the first record of the genus from Eastern Himalayas and the larger Indian Himalayan Region. It is also the northern most distribution record of the genus for the country. The specimen collected is distinct from known Indian species and shows close affinity to Hemiphyllodactylus yunnanensis sensu lato with respect to morphological characters as well as geographic proximity of collection locality. However, considering the restricted montane distribution and limited range of species from mainland Southeast Asia and peninsular India, it most likely belongs to a hitherto undescribed species. The finding emphasizes the conservation significance of tropical evergreen forests of Eastern Himalayas and North east hills for herpetofaunal diversity and biodiversity in general.