Crytodactylus exercitus: New gecko from NE gets Army tag

What is the news?

A team of herpetologists have recorded a new species of bent-toed gecko from a wooded part of the Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya. The finding of the study was published in the latest issue of the European Journal of Taxonomy.

About the new gecko species

Its scientific name is Crytodactylus exercitus and its English name is the Indian Army’s bent-toed gecko.

Note: Exercitus in Latin means army.

What is the reason behind naming the gecko as Crytodactylus exercitus?

1. The name was given to honour the Army for its services to the country. 2. The military station where the bent-toed gecko was discovered was also a factor behind its name.

What are the other gecko species found?

The paper recorded another new bent-toed gecko, the Cyrtodactylus siahaensis named after Mizoram’s Siaha district where it was found.

The study also recorded the Cyrtodactylus lungleiensis, a new species of bent-toed gecko named after Mizoram’s Lunglei town.

With these findings, India is now home to 40 species of the bent-toed gecko with the northeast accounting for 16 of them.

Source: This post is based on the article “New gecko from NE gets Army tag” published in The Hindu on 19th February 2022.