India, Sept. 12 -- A newly discovered bent-toed gecko, found in the forests of central Assam's Dima Hasao district, has been named 'Cyrtodactylus vanarakshaka' in honour of the Assam Forest Department, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.

"This rare find is a befitting tribute to our brave forest staff, where nature rewards their valour with a new wonder," Sarma wrote on X on the occasion of Forest Martyrs' Day.

The discovery was formally described in the latest digital issue of the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity by a team of herpetologists comprising Manmath Bharali, Krijoboti Thaosen, Mathipi Vabeiryureilai, Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Rupankar Bhattacharjee, Madhurima Das, Sanath Chandra Boh...