Three new lizard species indigenous to the Telangana and Karnataka plateaus have been found by the researchers of Osmania University’s zoology department.
On Wednesday, the university said that its scientist, Dr C Srinivasulu, led a team of two researchers, G Chethan Kumar and Aditya Srinivasulu in discovering this which was published in Zootaxa, a world-renowned publication dedicated to animal taxonomy.
Deccan Giant Leaf-toed Gecko Hemidactylus raya from Hampi in the Bellary district of Karnataka, Saxatile Leaf-toed Gecko Hemidactylus saxicolous from Raichur Fort in the Raichur district of Karnataka and Emulous Leaf-toed Gecko Hemidactylus aemulus from Chandanapalli near Panagal in the Nalgonda are the discovered species.
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The zoologists noted that these three new species were previously mistaken for the Indian Giant Leaf-toed Gecko, which was discovered by WT Blanford in 1872. However, rigorous examination of numerous body features and phylogenetics revealed that these species are distinct and different.
‘This is a classic case of cryptic diversity in known species, the subtle morphological difference that goes unnoticed by zoologists is the reason why such diversity goes unnoticed. I had been doubting that there are cryptic diversity among the Giant Leaf-toed Gecko’, Dr Srinivasulu said.
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