Creature’s shining eyes at plantation leads to discovery of species in India, study says
Scanning the brush around a rubber plantation in southern India, scientists noticed a creature’s eyes shining through the night. They looked closer and discovered a new species hiding in the leaves, a study said.
Researchers identified a new species of ground-dwelling gecko in Kerala, according to a study published March 28 in the Journal of Herpetology. The lizard was named Cyrtodactylus chengodumalaensis, or the Coastal Kerala gecko.
The small gecko has iridescent gold eyes and a tan-colored body, photos show. Large, dark brown spots cover its body. They vary in shape but have a dark black ring and lighter ring along the edge.
The gecko’s pattern makes it “ground” colored, allowing it to blend into its surroundings, per the study.
The Coastal Kerala gecko can reach about 3 inches in size, the study said. The species is distinguished by its coloring, body shape and cellular makeup.
Researchers found the animal in four areas of Kerala. These areas were all low-elevation but varied from natural landscapes to “human-dominated” areas, such as the rubber plantation, the study said.
Researchers named the new gecko species after the Chengodumala area where it was “fairly common” and seen foraging at night, the study said.
The Coastal Kerala gecko is the second gecko to be identified in Chengodumala, researchers said. The area’s biodiversity has been “largely understudied with more species remaining to be discovered,” per the study.
Kerala is a state along the coast of southern India, about 1,485 miles south of New Delhi.
This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 6:49 AM with the headline "Creature’s shining eyes at plantation leads to discovery of species in India, study says."
