Cyrtodactylus deccanensis

Cyrtodactylus deccanensis, commonly known as the Deccan ground gecko, Günther's Indian gecko, or banded ground gecko, is a species of gecko native to the northern Western Ghats of India. It was first described by Günther in 1864 and later catalogued by Boulenger in 1885. The gecko has a large head with an elongated snout and concave loreal region. Its body is moderately elongate and depressed, with long limbs and cylindrical digits that are compressed toward the tips. The skin is covered in convex granules on the head and subequal tubercles on the body, with smooth, imbricate scales on the underside. Males exhibit enlarged preanal and femoral scales but lack pores. The gecko’s tail is cylindrical and tapering, covered in uniform smooth scales arranged in rings.

The Deccan ground gecko is reddish brown above, marked with narrow white, black-edged crossbars, and has whitish underparts. It grows to approximately 2.5 inches from snout to vent, with a tail length of 2.25 inches. Native to the Deccan region of Bombay Presidency, it inhabits forest floors and is insectivorous. Common in the Northern Western Ghats, it has been reported in locations such as Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Matheran, Khandala, Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamhini Ghat, and Saputara Hills in Gujarat. Günther originally classified it under the genus Gymnodactylus (Geckoella), but some authorities still place it there.