PUNE: A team of researchers from the
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have discovered two new species of lizards in
Western Ghats. The discovery was the result of a 10-year-long endeavour.
The research paper was authored by BNHS’s Saunak and his colleagues. After a thorough evaluation of the taxonomy of agamid lizards in the southern peninsula, the researchers have discovered “two new genera and two new species” of lizards in the
Kudremukh, Nilgiri, and Meghmalai Hills.
The researchers said there are four broad genera of lizards in peninsular India. One groups was found to be native to the Western Ghats, and has been named ‘Monilesaurus’, meaning lizards with a necklace as they have a distinct skinfold resembling a necklace.
Deep in the forests of the southern tip of the Western Ghats, the researchers also discovered a highly divergent species, which was allocated a genus of its own — ‘Microauris’.
The two new species discovered are part of the ‘Monilesaurus’ genus.
The ‘Monilesaurus montanus’ and ‘Monilesaurus acanthocephalus’ were discovered in the ecologically-sensitive Nilgiri and Kudremukh hills in the southern tip of the Ghats. Both have varying scale rows — between 46 and 64 — and have nuchal spines, which are common among lizards.
These species also have a distinctive skinfold around their neck, making them stand out from other, similar looking species.
The research, according to the BNHS and IISc researchers, is part of a larger study of smaller fauna in the Western Ghats, including lizards, snakes, and frogs, which are a critical part of maintaining the fragile ecosystem in the area. A press release said the study “aimed to map the diversity and distribution of these groups in the Ghats, towards discovering species, documenting diversity and using this information towards conservation prioritization. These results highlight the importance of this mountain range as an evolutionary hotspot for diversification”.
The Monilesauraus acanthocephalus
