A new ground dwelling lizard was discovered in Mumbai by researchers from Villanova University , USA National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, and Bombay Natural History Society. The new species has been named Cyrtodactylus Varadgirii in honor of Bangalore based scientist Varad Giri.
The lizard was found in Goregaon’s Aarey Colony and Thane’s Badlapur forested belts. It is 130 years after which such a species has been discovered. Ground dwelling lizards such as this are found in leaf littered forests. What makes this particular species unique is that it is also found to live in human inhabited areas.
“This is the result of meticulous efforts of several years by lead author Ishan Agarwal and Aaron Bauer of Villanova University, USA along with Zeeshan Mirza and Anurag Mishra of National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, and Saunak Pal of Bombay Natural History Society,” Giri said.
Earlier, the lizard Cyrtodactylus Varadgirii, or “Giri’s Geckoella” was considered as Geckoella Collegalensis a close cousin. But researcher Ishan Agarwal later confirmed it to be a new species after they conductud DNA analysis and observed the morphological differences.
“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 centimeters,” Giri explained.
This is the third time that a species has been named after the Indian scientist. A newly discovered snake species and another lizard species also carry his name, both endemic to and discovered in the Western Ghats of India in the past 5 years.
“This is virtually like a stamp of immortality for the person/s after whom a new species is named, otherwise there are no other accompanying honours or rewards. It draws attention to the fact that besides tigers, there are many other things that need protection from the humans,” Giri added.
There are many more such spectacular species waiting to be discovered in Western Ghats – a biodiversity hotspot of the world.
More Related Stories,
Photographers Discover A New Species Of Primate In India
New Species Of Golden Backed Frog Discovered
