ITANAGAR, 30 Jul: Scientists and researchers from Dehradun (Uttarakhand)-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, and London (England)-based Natural History Museum discovered six new species of bent-toed geckos using morphological characteristics, supported by molecular analyses.
Out of the six new species, two each were described from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, while one each was described from Manipur and Mizoram, the WII informed in a release.
The finding was published in the latest issue of the journal Vertebrate Zoology.
The Namdapha bent-toed gecko was discovered in the Namdapha tiger reserve. The species is widespread within the lowland evergreen forests of Namdapha and Kamlang tiger reserves.
These nocturnal geckos were mostly seen perching among vegetation along the forest streams of 25 Mile, Burma Nullah, Gibbons Land, Motijheel Trail and Hornbill camp of the tiger reserve.
In Kamlang, the species was sighted from rocks and vegetation near the Kamlang River at Sinabrai. This is the fourth new species discovered by the researchers of the WII in the last two years, highlighting the hyper diversity of the Namdapha-Kamlang landscape.
The second species from Arunachal comes from the Siang valley, and it was named after the river valley known for its unique biodiversity.
The Nengpui bent-toed gecko was discovered in the Ngengpui wildlife sanctuary in Lawngtlai district of Mizoram, which is one of the protected areas of India.
The Manipur bent-toed gecko was discovered from near Lamdan Kabui village of Manipur. It was perched on a shrub at a height of approximately 1.5 m, on the road connecting Leimatak and Charoikhullen.
The Barail Hills bent-toed gecko is currently known only from the locality in Peren district of Nagaland. The species was discovered in the Athibung reserve forest, which falls on the upper reaches of the Barail hill range, which provides a mountainous corridor between the Naga Hills and Assam. The forest type is tropical to subtropical cloud forest, with relatively little anthropogenic pressure.
The Kiphire bent-toed gecko was discovered in Kiphire district, Nagaland, at an elevation of 1300 m asl. The area is characterised as a subtropical forest with regenerating jhum forest.
The discoveries from the tiger reserves and the wildlife sanctuaries flag the issue of poorly known biodiversity status within the Northeast, while the discovery of new species from the reserved forests and abandoned jhum areas showcase the importance of such less prioritised areas in holding key components of biodiversity.
The description of six new species of the bent-toed gecko of the genus Cyrtodactylus from northeastern India demonstrates the hidden diversity and reiterates the need for further exploration of the region, the WII said.
