A team of four researchers has described a new Gecko- Hemidactylus varadgirii from Amboli – known as one of the best biodiversity hotspots in Maharashtra. The gecko has been named after Taxonomist and researcher Dr. Varad Giri in recognition of his contribution in conserving Amboli.
The findings by the team that included R Chaitanya, Ishan Agarwal, Aparna Lajmi and Akshay Khandekar was published in Zootaxa- a globally renowned peer-reviewed journal on Wednesday.
"Amboli is an extremely popular place well known as a haven for reptiles. This group of Geckos are very common here and can be seen everywhere but somehow they were never studied to check if they were a different species as most looked very common to other known species," said R Chaitanya, a herpetologist and one of the authors of the paper published.
However, the team of four researchers was intrigued by some minor morphological differences shown by these geckos while they were in Amboli and they decided to study them. "We collected some specimen in August-September 2018 and not only studied their morphological features but also their DNA data and by December 2018 we confirmed that these were a new species and not other species that they were always mistaken to be," Chaitanya added.
This gecko, which has been given the common name Giri"s brookiish gecko by the team, are a group of very commonly found geckos in rocky habitats and plateaus. They are reluctant climbers found in the forest of Amboli.
According to the team, they instantly decided to name this gecko after Giri as a tribute to their teacher because all the authors who worked on describing this species were trained by Dr. Giri in gecko taxonomy. "Dr. Giri is also one of India's leading experts on the Hemidactylus genus of geckos and he has been doing a lot of work for the conservation of this biodiversity hotspot and since this gecko was found from Amboli it was apt to name it after him," said Khandekar.
Speaking to DNA, Dr. Giri who already has four species named after him said that he was very honoured and touched by the gesture of the four. "I am happy that the work done by the four helped discover that the common looking geckos were actually a new species altogether. It just goes to shows the biodiversity that Amboli holds and one has to understand that several species have not only adapted but also made the rocky habitats and plateaus their homes and hence all efforts need to be taken to protect it," he said.