A new species of gecko has been discovered in the Satpura Hill ranges in Central India by four researchers. This is the second discovery made by the researchers in last six months in the areas, which are known to be unexplored amongst scholars.
The new species has been named Eublepharis Satpuraensis after the location it was found in. The lizard belongs to the family of leopard geckos, which are supposed to be by far the least studied lizards in India.
The paper has been published in the recent edition of Phyllomedusa journal. Researchers Zeeshan A. Mirza, Rajesh V. Sanap, David Raju, Atish Gawai and Prathamesh Ghadekar have co-authored the paper on the basis of their findings.
The gecko was located while they were studying the amphibians in the region. “The first picture of this species came to me in 2009 from Melghat Tiger Reserve. Later a few more pictures followed which led us to Satpura Hills, where we discovered the new gecko,” said Mr Mirza, who is currently doing his research at Bengaluru’s National Centre for Biological Sciences.
The specimens of adult male and female were found in the Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, and juveniles were collected from Amravati district. The species were collected near the boulders, rocky outcrops and burrows mostly in the nights.
The paper also states that the geckos are nocturnal and secretive in nature. At the slightest disturbance, the species retreats. The adults were also offered scorpions and grasshoppers in captivity, which they readily accepted. Very few residents in the vicinity were found to be aware of the presence of the species. Due to its colouration, the gecko is regarded as poisonous and is often killed by locals.
what do jellyfish eat
ReplyDeletebrown algae
green algae
reef fish