Calodactylodes aureus (Beddome, 1870)

Digits Base and Underside Scales

This species has digits that are slender at the base and free, with squarish scales on their underside.

Digital Expansions

Each digit has large trapezoidal penultimate and distal expansions; the lower surface of each expansion is covered by two large plates separated by a longitudinal groove.

Digit Claws

All digits bear a claw, and the claw is retractable between the distal plates. The penultimate expansion is absent on the inner digit.

Body Surface Scales

The upper surface of the body is covered in small granular scales mixed with larger tubercles, and abdominal scales are positioned next to one another without overlapping.

Pupil Shape

Pupils are vertical.

Pore Presence

No preanal or femoral pores are present.

Head General Shape

The head is large, oviform, and very distinct from the neck.

Supraorbital and Canthal Ridge

A strong, rounded supraorbital and canthal ridge is present.

Head Concavities

There are five deep concavities: one frontal, two postnasal, and two loreal.

Snout Length

The snout is longer than the distance between the eye and ear opening, measuring 1.3 times the diameter of the orbit.

Ear Opening

The ear opening is vertical and measures half the diameter of the eye.

Body Depression

The body is not strongly depressed.

Limb Morphology

Limbs are long and slender.

Digital Expansion Width

The width of the digital expansion is about half the diameter of the eye.

Head Upper Surface Scales

The head is covered in very small granules, which are largest on the canthal ridges.

Rostral Scale

The rostral scale is four-sided, twice as broad as high, and has a concave posterior border.

Nostril Position

Nostrils are located between the rostral, the first labial scale, and three nasal scales.

Anterior Nasal Scale

The anterior nasal is large and contacts the opposite anterior nasal.

Labial Scales Count

There are 12 or 13 upper labials, and the same number of lower labials.

Mental Scale

The mental scale is the same size as the adjacent labials, or smaller.

Chin and Gular Scales

There are no regular chin-shields; small, polygonal scales gradually transition into the granules that cover the gular region.

Upper Body Granular Scales

The upper body surface is covered in minute granules.

Dorsal Tubercles

The back has scattered, barely prominent, smooth, round larger tubercles that are not as large as the ventral scales.

Ventral Scales

Ventral scales are flat, smooth, squarish, juxtaposed, and arranged like bricks in a wall.

Tail Morphology

The tail is long, cylindrical, remarkably slender, and covered in squarish scales that are much larger on its underside.

Upper Surface Coloration

In preserved specimens, the upper surface color is brownish-white; it is golden during life, and dotted or vermiculated with brown.

Lower Surface Coloration

Lower surfaces are whitish.

Size Measurements

The species measures 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) from snout to vent, and the tail is 3.2 inches (8.1 cm) long.

Country Distribution

This species is found only in India, where it is restricted to rocky areas of the Eastern Ghats.

Habitat Specifics

It occurs among rocks in dark, shady ravines in the Tirupati Hills, according to M.A. Smith 1935.

Reproduction and Nesting

Mature females deposit more than 300 eggs into a shared community nest located near water or moist areas.