Telangana scientists discover two new gecko species
HYDERABAD: Two new gecko species have been discovered in Telangana by a team of scientists during field research in Nalgonda and Warangal districts. The species have been named Hemidactylus kershnikola and Hemidactylus koyayorum.
Researchers from the Freshwater Biology Regional Centre of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Hyderabad, ZSI Kolkata, Nehru Zoological Park, the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun and Fakir Mohan University in Odisha jointly carried out the field studies.
A detailed research paper on the discovery was published on Wednesday in the international taxonomic journal European Journal of Taxonomy.
The team comprised Bharath Bhupathi, Sumidh Ray, B. Lakshminarayana, Amrita Balan, Deepa Jaiswal and Pratyush P. Mohapatra.
Two species belong to the Hemidactylus murrayi clade
India currently has 62 species of Hemidactylus, according to the source copy. The two newly identified species belong to the Hemidactylus brookii group and the murrayi clade.
With the discoveries, the number of reptiles endemic to the geographical region of Telangana has risen to six, the copy said. They join the four species identified earlier — Hemidactylus emulus, Hemidactylus flavicaudus, Hemidactylus xericolus and Hemidactylus treutleri.
The collected specimens have been preserved at the ZSI headquarters in Kolkata and the ZSI museum at the Freshwater Biology Regional Centre in Hyderabad.
Kershnikola found among stone piles in Nalgonda
Hemidactylus kershnikola was identified in a rocky area between Guntu Madugu near the Vardhamanagudem bus stop in Nalgonda district and the Peddavagu-Pendlipakala reservoirs.
The species was found mainly in gaps between stone piles placed by people near fields and hillocks. It was therefore named “kershnikola”.
The geckos grow to a maximum length of 49 mm. They have a colour pattern that helps them blend into dark rocks and avoid predators. They have 13 to 15 rows of angular scales on the back and 31 to 32 rows of scales on the belly.
Koyayorum identified in Pakhal sanctuary
The second species, Hemidactylus koyayorum, was identified in the Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary area of Warangal district.
The researchers named it “koyayorum”, the Latin plural form, to honour the Koya tribal community, whose traditional way of life has played an important role in forest conservation, according to the source.
Specimens were collected under red soil and rocks around the Pakhal Nature Trail and Haritha Resort. They grow to a maximum length of 55.6 mm.
The species has a grey back with four distinct white flower-shaped markings surrounded by dark borders. The scales behind the head are smooth, without raised tubercles.
The geckos are highly agile and, at the slightest sound, quickly disappear into grass clumps like a snake.
Genetic analysis confirms distinct species
The two new species resemble Hemidactylus treutleri, which is commonly found around Hyderabad. However, mitochondrial ST2 gene sequence analysis and morphological examinations established that the two are distinct species, according to the researchers.
The geckos are found in thorny bushes in rural areas. During winter and the rainy season, they bask on rocks during the day and hunt insects at night.
