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Scientists from India and the United Kingdom have described six new species of bent-toed geckos from Northeast India.
The researchers from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE) and Natural History Museum London (NHM) have discovered two species from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland each. The remaining two species were described from neighbouring Manipur and Mizoram each.
Bent-toed geckos have about 346 species distributed across multiple biogeographic zones in Peninsular India, Sri Lanka, the Himalayan foothills, Northeast India, Southeast Asia and the Solomon Islands.
The description of six new species of bent-toed gecko belonging to the genus Cyrtodactylus from Northeast India demonstrates the region’s hidden diversity and reiterates the need for its further exploration, a statement from WII said.
Abhijit Das, scientist-E at WII said the Namdapha bent-toed gecko was documented from the Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh and is widespread within lowland evergreen forests of the Namdapha and Kamlang Tiger Reserves.
Das said these nocturnal species were seen mostly along forest streams, rocks and vegetation in multiple locations. The second species from the state was located in the valley of the Siang river, known for its unique biodiversity. It was named after the valley.
In Mizoram, the scientists discovered the Ngengpui bent-toed gecko from the Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary of Lawngtlai district. The site is located in one of the easternmost protected areas of the country.
“The forest is a tropical semi-evergreen to moist evergreen forest dominated by Dipterocarpus spp., palms, canes and rattans,” said a statement from WII.
The Manipur bent-toed gecko was discovered near the Lamdan Kabui village of Manipur. The species was perched on a shrub at an elevation of nearly 1.5 m, on the road connecting Leimatak and Charoikhullen.
In Nagaland, scientists discovered two new species namely Kiphire bent-toed gecko and Barail Hill bent-toed gecko between elevations of 740 m and 1,300 m above sea level from a regenerating jhum land and a reserved forest respectively. Jhum is the traditional method of slash-and burn agriculture practiced in several areas of Northeast India.
These discoveries were made during surveys conducted in Northeast India between 2018 and 2022, when scientists collected species samples from 22 locations. Consequent morphological and scientific tests revealed six new undescribed lineages.
Das told Down To Earth that species diversity, interestingly, is far higher to the south of the Brahmaputra river than in the Himalayan foothills. “Each Northeastern state has its own endemic bent-toed gecko now. We now have ~30 species of the group in the northeast itself, which are all endemic,” he added.
The scientist said discoveries of gecko species from tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries highlights poorly documented biodiversity within India’s protected areas.
“But coming across new species from reserved forests and abandoned jhum lands also showcases the importance of such least prioritised areas in providing habitats for undocumented biodiversity,” he added.