Van Gogh's starry dwarf gecko: new species discovered that resembles the starry night
In India, a new species of gecko with the colors of van Gogh's "Starry Night" has been discovered in the Western Ghati biodiversity hotspot.
About 2 years ago, biologist Ishan Agarwal of the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation in Mumbai was in the remote forests of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, along the eastern slopes of the Western Ghati, leading a mission to explore the rich biodiversity of this still little-known region. After several months and tens of thousands of kilometers traveled, a sight captivated the researchers' attention. A tiny reptile with mottled livery, never before observed, stood out among the vegetation, on the rocks.
Analysis in the laboratory later revealed that it was a new species of gecko in the genus Cnemaspis, resembling another recently discovered one, Cnemaspis galaxia.
The vivid colors of the tiny creature, just a little more than 3 centimeters long (including its tail), so impressed the researchers that they christened the new species Cnemaspis vangoghi, and suggested as a common name "van Gogh's dwarf star gecko," because of its resemblance to the artist's most famous work. The vivid colors, blue, mustard, and swirling spots called to the researchers' minds the brushstrokes of De sterrennacht, by the brilliant Dutch painter.
But C. vangoghi was not the only discovery; during the mission, another new species, the Cnemaspis sathuragiriensis, very similar to its cousin vangoghi. The name, in this case, refers to the location of the find, the Sathuragiri Hills.
Both species exhibit sexual dimorphism in coloration; females have less garish colors than males, and this is because bright colors play a very important role in female partner selection.
The discovery was disclosed recently in the journal Zookeys, with a publication titled "Two new species of the Cnemaspis galaxia complex (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the eastern slopes of the southern Western Ghats."
The individuals were found within the Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve. This, in addition to providing reassurance for the future of the species, as it is protected within an area free from anthropogenic pressures, confirms for us the importance of the establishment of protected areas and the important preservation function they play.
