Aizawl, July 23 -- A team of researchers led by HT Lalremsanga from the Department of Zoology, Mizoram University, has discovered two new species of Cyrtodactylus (bent-toed gecko) in the northern Indian states of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

The discovery was made during herpetological expeditions conducted in remote forested regions of the two states.

According to Lalremsanga, the identification of the species was based on detailed DNA analysis and morphological studies carried out by him and his research scholar Virender K. Bhardwaj, along with their co-researchers.

The newly discovered geckos have been named Cyrtodactylus himachalensis and Cyrtodactylus shivalikensis, reflecting their respective regions of origin. The rese...