The relict gecko (Cyrtodactylus relictus) is a small gecko from Andhra Pradesh, India. The gecko can grow to about 8.9 cm (3.5 in) in length. It has a tan coloring ranging between a light khaki to a dark brown. The gecko has multiple dark spots on its body.

Relict Gecko
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Cyrtodactylus
Species:
C. relictus
Binomial name
Cyrtodactylus relictus
Agarwal, Thackeray & Khandekar, 2023[1]

Discovery edit

The gecko was found in the district of Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, by a group of Thackeray Foundation students.[2]

Etymology edit

The gecko's name is derived from the Latin word for "a species that has survived from an earlier period with different environmental conditions". This is because the creature's habitat is a cooler forest, that is surrounded by warm and open areas.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Ishan Agarwal; Tejas Thackeray; Akshay Khandekar (May 2023). "Two new spotted species of the Cyrtodactylus (Geckoella) collegalensis (Beddome, 1870) complex from the south-eastern coast of India (Reptilia: Squamata)". Vertebrate Zoology. 73: 475-498. doi:10.3897/vz.73.e102602.
  2. ^ "Thackeray foundation students find two new Geckoella species". The Times of India. 2023-05-18. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-06-06.