Bhubaneswar: A new species of gecko or lizards with a maximum body size of little of over six cm has been discovered by a team of researchers in a sacred grove near Humma in Ganjam district.
The new species of Hemiphyllodactylus minimus is the smallest member of the genus. Although slender geckos are found at a higher altitude in hill forests, this is the first one from India which is found below 100 metres above mean sea level, reported The New Indian Express (TNIE).
The researchers found the species in a tiny area of 0.01 sq km with about 20 large trees surrounding a temple. The area is part of a flat-top hillock dominated by scrub forest and is within 15 km of the sea coast and Chilika lake, the report added.