Cyrtopodion Vindhya

Facts for Prelims
 

Cyrtopodion Vindhya
 

News: Recently, a new species of naked-toed gecko (Cyrtopodion) has been discovered in Dahod and Panchmahals districts in Gujarat.
 

About:
 The newly discovered naked-toed gecko has been named ‘Cyrtopodion Vindhya’ and it is the fifth endemic species of reptile described in the last fifteen years from the state of Gujarat.
 The new species is named after the Vindhya hill ranges.
 The Palearctic naked-toed geckos of the genus Cyrtopodion are a group of gekkonid lizards distributed across the arid regions of north Africa, Arabia, and Central Asia to northwestern India.
 The taxonomic history of the genus Cyrtopodion has been unstable, and 23 species are currently recognized, with the diversity concentrated in Pakistan and Iran.
 The newly discovered reptile is a nocturnal species, associated with granite boulders.
 Mostly rupicolous(living among rocks) in its habits but can be found on the ground as well.