The highly speciose gekkonid genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 is polyphyletic, with three distantly related and geographically isolated clades from Africa, South Asia (SA), and Southeast Asia. At present, there are 85 known species within SA Cnemaspis, although the number continues to increase rapidly with focused surveys and rigorous taxonomic work. Recent studies have provided valuable insights into the diversity and evolutionary history of SA Cnemaspis; however, most of these studies lack sufficient sampling in the Western Ghats (WG), where the genus has its greatest diversity. We addressed this research gap by conducting extensive sampling across the WG and re-examining museum specimens, thus providing a systematic account of various extant Cnemaspis species along with their distribution and natural history. We described 12 new species and a southern WG endemic clade of SA Cnemaspis. Ten of the newly described species are endemic to the forests of the southern WG. We also identified 10 well-supported subclades that can be separated across morphological, geographic, and phylogenetic axes. A time-calibrated phylogeny and ancestral area reconstructions confirmed the Paleocene origin of SA Cnemaspis in the WG and provide insights into its evolutionary history and biogeography. The discovery of multiple endemic and deeply divergent lineages further highlights the evolutionary significance of the WG for lizards.
先前的研究表明，物种多样性极高的东虎属Cnemaspis未形成单系，其中包括了3个亲缘关系较远且地理上相互隔离的支系，分别分布于非洲、南亚和东南亚。目前，东虎属南亚支系包含85个已知物种，而新物种的数量随着野外调查和分类学研究的开展而迅速增加。近期的研究充分揭示了东虎属南亚支系的物种多样性与演化历史，但大多数研究都缺乏对东虎属物种多样性最为丰富的西高止山脉的广泛采样。该研究补充了西高止山脉的野外采样，并查阅博物馆馆藏标本，对西高止山脉分布的多个已知种进行了系统性描述并补充了其自然生活史资料。同时，该文描述了东虎属南亚支系的12个新物种，其中10种为西高止山脉特有种。此外，研究将本属的南亚支系细分为10个可以通过形态、地理分布区域和系统演化数据鉴别的高支持率亚支。时间校准的系统演化树和祖先地重建分析显示，东虎属南亚支系起源于古新世的西高止山脉区域，对其演化历史与生物地理学研究提供了启示。众多特有新物种和高度分化支系的发现进一步凸显了西高止山脉对蜥蜴演化的重要性。.
Keywords: Biogeography; Cnemaspis; Dwarf geckos; Molecular phylogeny; New species; Osteology; South Asia; Systematics; Western Ghats.