Scientists have found a brand new species of gecko named for post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. A staff of scientists from the Thackeray Wildlife Basis had been exploring the Southern Western Ghats in southern India after they got here throughout this uncommon lizard. The again of Cnemaspis vangoghi reminded them of one of many world’s most well-known work. The brand new species is described in a examine revealed March 27 within the journal ZooKeys.
“Cnemaspis vangoghi is known as for Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) because the hanging colouration of the brand new species is harking back to certainly one of his most iconic work, The Starry Evening,” examine co-author and biologist Ishan Agarwal stated in a press release.
The males of this species boast a yellow head and forebody, with gentle blue spots on their again. They reside among the many rocks on this mountainous and rainforest coated area and sometimes are discovered on buildings and timber. Scientists don’t presently know what Cnemaspis vangoghi eats, however different geckos eat crickets, earthworms, waxworms, mealworms, moths, fruit flies, or grasshoppers. Some geckos will even eat fruit, together with papaya, pineapple, and grapes.
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Genetic sequencing helped the staff decide that it is a new species of gecko. There are roughly 1,500 identified gecko species all over the world. These lizards are discovered on each continent aside from Antarctica, however are particularly prevalent in hotter climates. Ishan Agarwal and colleagues Akshay Khandekar and Tejas Thackeray discovered the brand new species throughout an April 2022 expedition in Tamil Nadu, India.
“Tamil Nadu is an exceptionally biodiverse state and we count on to call nicely over 50 new species of lizards by the point we’re completed [with our expeditions]!,” stated Agarwal. “I additionally had greater than 500 tick bites throughout that summer season journey, with the best densities within the low-elevation, dry forests of Srivilliputhur, the place the brand new species are discovered.”
Cnemaspis vangoghi is a small gecko that may rise up to just one to 2 inches in size. The biggest identified gecko on this planet is the New Caledonian gecko. They’re solely discovered on the islands of New Caledonia within the South Pacific and might develop as much as 14 inches lengthy.
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Cnemaspis vangoghi was described as new to science with one other species in the identical genus named Cnemaspis sathuragiriensis. This different gecko is known as for its locality the Sathuragiri Hills.
“The 2 new species are distributed in low elevation [820 to 1,312 feet], deciduous forests of Srivilliputhur, and add to the 5 beforehand identified endemic vertebrates from Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India,” stated Agarwal.
Each species are additionally diurnal, which means they’re primarily energetic in the course of the cool hours within the early morning. They’ve solely been present in very restricted areas, which makes them an “an attention-grabbing case of micro-endemism in low-elevation species,” in line with Agarwal.