‘Slender’ mountain creature found lurking inside cave in India. It’s a new species
On a mountain in western India, a “slender” creature lurked inside a cave. Its remote home and camouflaged coloring likely helped it go undetected — until now.
Visiting scientists found the scaly animal and discovered a new species.
Researchers trekked up several mountains in Maharashtra in October 2023, according to a study published June 7 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. They weren’t doing it for the panoramic views, at least, not entirely.
They were searching for geckos.
During the hikes, researchers encountered dozens of unfamiliar-looking geckos and collected seven, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Cnemaspis kalsubaiensis, Kalsubai dwarf gecko.
Kalsubai dwarf geckos are considered “medium-sized,” reaching about 3.4 inches in length, the study said. They have “slender” bodies with “long” limbs and “strong” claws. Their “small,” “round” eyes are “bronze with a golden ring.”
A photo shows the dark brown coloring of a Kalsubai dwarf gecko. Its body is dotted with spikes and covered in a mosaic of white, tan and gray blotches. Overall, the lizard blends into the surrounding rocks relatively well.
A juvenile lizard with a “greenish-brown” coloring shows some of the variation of the new species, researchers said and a photo shows. Its body is dotted with blue, dark brown and gray patches.
Kalsubai dwarf geckos live in mountainous forests with rock cliffs between elevations of about 3,600 to 4,600 feet, the study said. Researchers found the lizards on rock walls, “inside man-made caves” and near a stream.
Inside one of the caves, they also found a “communal egg laying site” with “hatched and unhatched eggs” and “a few” pregnant Kalsubai dwarf geckos nearby. A photo shows the new species’ eggs.
Researchers said they named the new species after the Kalsubai mountain where it was first discovered, the study said. This peak is the tallest in Maharashtra at about 5,400 feet tall.
So far, the new species has only been found at two nearby sites in Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra, the study said. This area is a roughly 800-mile drive southwest from New Delhi.
The new species was identified by its spikes, scale pattern, body shape and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 10% genetic divergence from other dwarf geckos.
The research team included Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray, Ishan Agarwal, Satpal Gangalmale, Saurabh Kininge and Sunil Gaikwad.
The team also discovered a second new species: the basalt dwarf gecko.
This story was originally published June 10, 2024 at 10:31 AM with the headline "‘Slender’ mountain creature found lurking inside cave in India. It’s a new species."
