Context:
Recently, a new species of naked-toed gecko (Cyrtopodion) has been discovered in Dahod and Panchmahals districts in Gujarat.
Relevance:
GS III: Species in News
Newly Discovered Naked-Toed Gecko: Cyrtopodion Vindhya
- The newly discovered reptile is named ‘Cyrtopodion Vindhya.’
- It is the fifth endemic species of reptile described in the last fifteen years from Gujarat, India.
- The new species is named after the Vindhya hill ranges.
- The Palearctic naked-toed geckos of the genus Cyrtopodion are 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.
- Cyrtopodion Vindhya is a nocturnal species and is associated with granite boulders.
- It is mostly rupicolous, which means it lives among rocks, but it can also be found on the ground.
-Source: The Hindu
