New species of gecko found in the Eastern Ghats

Context: A new species of lizard, the smallest known Indian gekkonid, has been discovered in the Eastern Ghats.

• In India, 45 diverse species of Cnemaspis have been found, of which 34 are from the Western Ghats.

• The newly discovered dwarf gecko - Cnemaspis avasabinae is the twelfth species to be discovered outside the Western Ghats and also the first species reported from the Velikonda Range in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is likely that each hill range or isolated forest patch may have its own species.
• The new species was sighted in a dry evergreen forest among the rocks beneath a small stream at a height of less than 200 metres above sea level

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/new-species-of-gecko-found-in-the-eastern-ghats/article33201561.ece?homepage=true