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| Geckoella Jeyporensis |
Geckoella Jeyporensis or Jeypore ground gecko, a small lizard which was considered extinct for over a century, has been rediscovered in the Easter Ghats by the researchers in India.
This lizard species was first detected and collected in 1877 by a Britisher, Colonel RH Beddome from Jeypore Hills in Orissa. His description about the lizard and his methodology to find it helped these young researchers to find a clue! Ishaan Agarwal, the doctoral student at CES-IISc who was the chief person to initiate its re-discovery said, "The only clues were in the original description, which said that this species was collected under a rock in a forest at 4,200 ft on 'Patinghe Hill, Jeypore' - meaning high elevation forest areas (@1,000m) in the Eastern Ghats."
Teams of researchers, scientists and naturalists had failed in the past 135 years to trace the unique lizard. This species is unique among Indian geckos as it has enlarged, hexagonal, plate-like scales across the back. It is one of the most beautiful among Indian geckos, with an orange-brown dorsum, a series of chocolate brown dorsal blotches!
As Agarwal grew convinced that the gecko could be found again, another doctoral student, Aniruddha Datta-Roy, and field assistant Tarun Khichi, also joined him on the uncertain mission. The team set out to find the species in 2010 but to no avail. However, in 2011, their efforts finally paid off. They found it under a rock, exactly like Colonel Beddome, in Eastern Ghats.
Their research was recently published in Hamadryad which commented, "In many ways, the rediscovery of Geckoella Jeyporensis is symptomatic of herpetological research in India. There are a number of species that have not been recorded since their original descriptions or are known in few localities."
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