New species of Geckos discovered at the World Heritage Site of Hampi in Karnataka

A new species of Gecko, a type of lizard usually found in warm climates was spotted by researchers from the Osmania University in Hyderabad. It was spotted at the ruins of the World Heritage Site of Hampi in Karnataka.

The gecko was named as Cnemaspis adii after a young herpetology researcher from Hyderabad, Aditya Srinivasulu.

The discovery of the gecko and its name were published in journal Zootaxa in the current edition by researchers Chelmala Srinivasulu, G. Chethan Kumar and Bhargavi Srinivasulu from the zoology wing of the University.

The species was discovered in 2012 while the team was surveying the location for bats in Hampi. It was found on the walls of the temple in ruins of Hampi.

About the Gecko
Gecko, the lizard belongs to the family of day geckos characterised by round pupils unlike regular geckos which have vertical pupils.

The dorsal scales on the body of the Cnemaspis Adii are small, homogenous, granular and lightly keeled. It has scales ranging between 22 and 26 on its belly.

Significance of the discovery
Discovery of the gecko in Hampi is significant because other species of day geckos are generally found in the Western Ghats and Southern Ghats in peninsular India. This is the first time that the day gecko was found in the central regions of the peninsular India between Eastern and Western Ghats.

This discovery also hints that Hampi and surrounding areas are potentially rich in biodiversity and much research is required in the region to identify new species of smaller vertebrate and invertebrates.