ROOPAK GOSWAMI
Shillong, May 28: A rare bent-toed gecko first discovered in Meghalaya’s Garo Hills has now been recorded in Assam for the first time, reinforcing the importance of Meghalaya’s forests as a major centre of reptile diversity in the Northeast.
Researchers have confirmed the presence of Cyrtodactylus bapme, or the Bapme bent-toed gecko, in the Goalpara district of Assam, extending the known range of the species beyond Meghalaya. The gecko was originally described in 2021 from the East Garo Hills based on specimens collected from the region.
The genus Cyrtodactylus is now recognised as one of the world’s most species-rich vertebrate groups, and northeastern India has witnessed an explosion of discoveries in recent years. The researchers noted that 31 new species from this genus have been described from the region in less than a decade.
The findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa by researchers Manmath Bharali, Pranjal Swargiary, Tejas Mariswamy, Madhurima Das, Jayaditya Purkayastha and Sanath Chandra Bohra.
During surveys around Urpad Beel in Assam’s Goalpara district, the team collected six specimens and used molecular analysis to confirm that they belonged to the same species first identified from Meghalaya’s Garo Hills.
The researchers said the discovery is significant because Meghalaya remains the species’ original and primary known habitat. In the Garo Hills, the gecko inhabits rocks and trees in evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, especially near streams, and has also been found in betel vine jhum cultivation areas.
Scientists say the study also fills an important gap in understanding the species. When the gecko was first described from Meghalaya, only female specimens were available. The Assam survey documented males for the first time, allowing researchers to study anatomical features important for species identification.
The paper notes that northeastern India has seen a rapid rise in discoveries of bent-toed geckos in recent years, with more than 30 new species described from the region within the last decade.
Researchers observed that the species is strictly nocturnal and becomes active a few hours after dusk. One gravid female was also seen feeding on a juvenile huntsman spider during field observations.
The latest record, scientists say, highlights how the Garo Hills landscape continues to yield important discoveries and remains one of the Northeast’s least explored biodiversity zones.
