Jhuma’s leopard gecko was first encountered during a herpetofaunal survey in 2021, with three specimens from Parari, which sits outside the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary.
Researchers in India have described a new species of gecko in the Eublepharis genus. The gecko, Jhuma’s leopard gecko (Eublepharis jhuma sp. nov.) has been described based on three specimens that are morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from its congeners. It is also 6.9 to 7.8% distinct from its closest sister species, E. satpuraensis. It was discovered in the Chota Nagpur Plateau in India.
The species was first encountered during a herpetofaunal survey in 2021, with three specimens from Parari, which sits outside the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary. The three specimens were then added to the collection of the Reptilia section of the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata. The scientists say that there are no confirmed prior records of the genus Eublepharis from Bihar and this is the first documented occurrence of the Eublepharis genus in the state.
Eublepharis jhuma Mohapatra, Ray, A. K. Das, Satrusallya, Jena, Bhupathi, R. Das & Mahapatra. 2026. A+C: The habitat in which the gecko was found.
The Jhuma’s leopard gecko has a snout to vent length of 142.2mm. It has 18-22 rows of flat tubercle-like moderately keeled scales that run across the dorsum. These are in conjunction with smaller granular scales, two pale bands between the nuchal loop and caudal constriction, the researcher wrote in their paper. It is a large leopard gecko that features a dark brown dorsum, pale color bands and a mid dorsal light band that starts at the nuchal region of the groin to the bands of the body. The top of the head features a light cream reticulation that extends up the lateral sides. The limbs feature a pale body color and it has whitish spots on the legs.
Habitat
Jhuma’s leopard gecko is known to inhabit tropical dry deciduous forest ecosystems in the Kaiser range that is isolated from the main sanctuary forest by agricultural fields. All leopard gecko species in India are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act Amendment Act of 2022. Threats to the species include forest fires, habitat loss, pollution, roadkill, and persecution, according to the researchers.
The complete paper describing the species, “Description of a morphologically distinct and phylogenetically divergent new species of the leopard gecko in the genus Eublepharis Gray, 1827 (Reptilia, Eublepharidae) from India” can be read on the Herpetozoa website.
Zoo Med 40 Gallon ReptiHabitat Naturalistic Enclosure Build For Leopard Geckos
