Researchers in India have discovered a new species of lizard in the Goregaon's Aarey Colony and Thane's Badlapur forested belts of Mumba
Researchers in India have discovered a new species of lizard in the Goregaon's Aarey Colony and Thane's Badlapur forested belts of Mumbai, India and it is a beauty.
The lizard, Cyrtodactylus varadgirii, was first thought to be Geckoella collegalensism but DNA data and morphological characteristics determined that the reptile was actually a new species. The gecko is around 56mm in length, snout to vent and lacks precloacal and femoral pores and no enlarged preanal or femoral scales, according to an abstract of a study published in the journal Zootaxa.
The lizard, Cyrtodactylus varadgirii, is named after Dr. Varad Giri, a postdoctoral researcher at the National Centre for Biological Sciences and former scientist at the Bombay Natural History Society.
"This uncommon species is mostly seen moving among the leaf litter on the forest floor. They are active during night and take refuge under rocks and logs during the day. It grows the length of around 6 centimetres," Mr Giri told Indo-Asian News Service.
The lizard lives in forested areas but has also adapted to live around areas in which people are known to live and is widely distributed throughout much of India, Giri said.
