Researchers discover new species of gecko in Arunachal Pradesh

MUMBAI: A team of researchers from five institutes across India discovered a new gecko species in Arunachal Pradesh. Their discovery was published in the international peer-reviewed journal Evolutionary Systematics on Thursday.

The new species, which belongs to the genus Cyrtodactylus commonly known as benttoed geckos, was discovered by Zeeshan Mirza of the National

Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru, Harshal Bhosale and Mandar Sawant of the Bombay Natural History Society in Mumbai, Faizan Ansari of the Madras Crocodile Bank in Chennai, Gaurang Gowande of Ferguson College in Pune, Pushkar Phansalkar from Pune, and Harshil Patel of the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in Surat.

The researchers have named the species Cyrtodactylus arunachalensis after the state in which it was discovered.

“The finding of this lizard species is important because it proves that Arunachal Pradesh is rich in biodiversity which is yet to be documented. With development projects lined up in the state, some of these species may be wiped out even before they are discovered,” said Mirza.

The team found the gecko on a month-and-a-half-long expedition during late June to early August 2019 to study undocumented biodiversity in the state with the help of DNA data.

The gecko is the fourth new reptile species to be discovered by the team during the trip. The other three species that have been discovered were snakes, one of which was a pit viper species — Trimeresurus Salazar, named after the character Salazar Slytherin from Harry Potter.

“These geckos are strictly nocturnal and are found usually around rocky areas or under culverts. Most members of this group look similar and hence a close look is necessary to separate the species. In many cases, comparison of DNA sequences is necessary to confirm identification,” said the researchers.

“When it comes to lesser invertebrates and insects, only about 50% species have been documented. However, with newer techniques and concerted efforts by more people, these species that have existed for long are coming to be known to science,” said Varad Giri, veteran herpetologist, who was not a part of the research team.

The research team has been working on comparing the morphology and DNA of the gecko species with related species.

ZEESHAN MIRZA The species has been named Cyrtodactylus arunachalensis after the state where it was discovered.