Scientists at the Zoological Survey of India have identified a new species of slender gecko in the Eastern Ghats.
The species, classified under the genus Hemiphyllodactylus, was recorded in the Tirumala Hill ranges of the Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve in Andhra Pradesh. It has been named Hemiphyllodactylus venkatadri after the Venkatadri Hills in Tirumala.
The name draws on the Sanskrit words “Venkata,” associated with Lord Vishnu, and “Adri,” meaning mountain.
The findings appear in the 2025 volume of Herpetozoa. The work was carried out by scientists from the Freshwater Biology Regional Centre in Hyderabad, the Reptilia Section in Kolkata, and Fakir Mohan University in Odisha.
Molecular analysis shows that the new species differs from related geckos found in peninsular India.
The researchers documented several morphological traits that separate the gecko from its close relatives.
These include 12 to 16 chin scales; 6 to 8 precloacal pores and 5 to 7 femoral pores with poreless scales between them; and a lamellar pattern of 2-2-2-2 on all limbs.
The animal was found under tree bark in a sandalwood plantation within tropical dry deciduous forest at an elevation of about 881 meters.
This is the second member of the genus reported from Andhra Pradesh. The first, H. arakuensis, was identified earlier from a different part of the state.
The new discovery, researchers say, points to the need for further field studies in the Eastern Ghats.
Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, director of the Zoological Survey of India, said the find highlights how much of the region’s diversity remains undocumented. “Discoveries like the Venkatadri Slender Gecko strongly reiterate the need for continued systematic exploration and molecular research in the Eastern Ghats,” she said. “This region remains one of India’s most underexplored biogeographic areas, yet it continues to yield a rich and growing list of new reptile species.”