Researchers in India discovered a brand-new lizard species, Cnemaspis vangoghi, in the Southern Western Ghats, named for its similarity to Van Goghs The Starry Night. The finding highlights the rich biodiversity and distinct habitat attributes of Tamil Nadus Srivilliputhur location. Credit: Akshay KhandekarYouve most likely seen nature depicted in art, however how often do you see an art work hiding in nature?When they saw the back of a lizard in the Southern Western Ghats, a group of scientists from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation in India were reminded of Van Goghs The Starry Night. As quickly as they found out it was a new species, it was just apt to name it in honor of the popular painter.” Cnemaspis vangoghi is named for Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh (1853– 1890) as the striking coloration of the new types is reminiscent of one of his most iconic paintings, The Starry Night,” describes Ishan Agarwal, who took part in the research study to explain the new lizard. Males of the types have a yellow head and forebody and light blue areas on the back and they live amongst rocks and occasionally buildings and trees.From delegated right: Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray, Swapnil Pawar, Ishan Agarwal, Satpal Gangalmale, Vivek Waghe. Credit: Khandekar et al.Expedition Findings and BiodiversityTogether with his fellow scientists Akshay Khandekar and Tejas Thackeray, they found the brand-new types throughout an exploration in April 2022 to the Southern Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, India. Now, they have actually released their findings in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.” Tamil Nadu is a remarkably biodiverse state and we anticipate to call well over 50 new types of lizards by the time we are done [with our explorations]” Ishan Agarwal states.” I also had more than 500 tick bites during that summertime trip, with the greatest densities in the low-elevation, dry forests of Srivilliputhur, where the new types are found,” he adds.Cnemaspis vangoghi is a small-sized gecko that can reach 3,4 cm in length. It was referred to as new to science together with another types of its genus, Cnemaspis sathuragiriensis, called for its type locality the Sathuragiri Hills.” The two new species are distributed in low elevation (250– 400 m asl.), deciduous forests of Srivilliputhur, and contribute to the five previously understood endemic vertebrates from Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India,” Ishan Agarwal discusses. They are primarily active and diurnal throughout the cool hours of the early morning and night, found mostly on rocks. Far, they have just been found in very limited regions, “an intriguing case of micro-endemism in low-elevation types,” he notes.Reference: “Two brand-new species of the Cnemaspis galaxia complex (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the eastern slopes of the southern Western Ghats” by Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray and Ishan Agarwal, 27 March 2024, ZooKeys.DOI: 10.3897/ zookeys.1196.117947.
Scientists in India found a brand-new lizard types, Cnemaspis vangoghi, in the Southern Western Ghats, named for its similarity to Van Goghs The Starry Night.” Cnemaspis vangoghi is named for Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh (1853– 1890) as the striking pigmentation of the new species is reminiscent of one of his most iconic paintings, The Starry Night,” describes Ishan Agarwal, who took part in the research study to explain the new lizard. Far, they have just been discovered in extremely restricted localities, “an interesting case of micro-endemism in low-elevation types,” he notes.Reference: “Two new species of the Cnemaspis galaxia complex (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the eastern slopes of the southern Western Ghats” by Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray and Ishan Agarwal, 27 March 2024, ZooKeys.DOI: 10.3897/ zookeys.1196.117947.