Cyrtodactylus malcolmsmithi was described by Constable in 1949 in the genus Gymnodactylus on the basis of its apparently undivided subdigital lamellae. The species has not been collected since and only finds mention in some checklists and new Cyrtodactylus descriptions. We recently examined the holotype and paratype of this enigmatic taxon and discovered that the subdigital lamellae are divided. The species is accordingly transferred to the genus Hemidactylus, within which it is a member of the Hemidactylus brookii complex and a valid species, Hemidactylus malcolmsmithi comb. nov. We assign recently sampled populations to this taxon and provide a diagnosis against congeners from the Indian subcontinent and a summary of characters for the species.