Cyrtopodion Vindhya
26-08-2023
11:16 AM
1 min read
Overview:
Recently, a new species of naked-toed gecko (Cyrtopodion) has been discovered in Dahod and Panchmahals districts in Gujarat.
About Cyrtopodion Vindhya:
- The newly discovered naked-toed gecko has been named ‘Cyrtopodion Vindhya’ and it is the fifth endemic species of reptile described in the last fifteen years from the state of Gujarat.
- The new species is named after the Vindhya hill ranges.
- The Palearctic naked-toed geckos of the genus Cyrtopodion are a group of gekkonid lizards distributed across the arid regions of north Africa, Arabia, and Central Asia to northwestern India.
- The taxonomic history of the genus Cyrtopodion has been unstable, and 23 species are currently recognized, with the diversity concentrated in Pakistan and Iran.
- The newly discovered reptile is a nocturnal species, associated with granite boulders.
- Mostly rupicolous( living among rocks) in its habits but can be found on the ground as well.
Q1) What is a Reptile?
Reptiles are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have scaly bodies rather than hair or feathers; most reptile species are egg-laying, though certain “squamates” — lizards, snakes and worm-lizards — give birth to live young.
Source: New species of gecko found in Gujarat named after Vindhya hills