Context:
Recently New species of flying gecko found near Myanmar border named after Mizoram.
Relevance:
GS III: Species in News
About Gekko Mizoramensis:
Taxonomic Classification:
- Gekko Mizoramensis belongs to the subgenus Ptychozoon within the Gekko genus.
Distribution:
- The species is found in Southeast Asia.
- It is specifically found in Mizoram, a region in India, as well as parts of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia.
Previous Species in Mizoram:
- Prior to the discovery of Gekko Mizoramensis, only one species, Ptychozoon lionotum or the smooth-backed gliding gecko, was known to exist in Mizoram.
Habitat and Behavior:
- Gekko Mizoramensis is arboreal, meaning it primarily inhabits trees.
- It is nocturnal, being most active during the night.
- The gecko has the ability to glide from one tree to another, aided by its webbed limbs and flat tail. However, it does not possess the capability to fly.
Similar Species:
- Gekko Mizoramensis is most closely related to its sister species Gekko popaensis.
- The two species differ in terms of genetic divergence, morphology, and color pattern.
- The uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence between the two species is 7-14%.
Cryptic Species:
- The species Gekko Mizoramensis is considered paraphyletic and consists of multiple cryptic species.
- Cryptic species refer to organisms that are morphologically similar but genetically distinct.
-Source: The Hindu
