Spiky ‘large’-eyed creature found hunting near windmills in India. It’s a new species
As darkness fell across a windmill farm in western India, a spiky creature emerged from some nearby rocks to hunt. Its “large” brown eyes scanned the plateau, but it wasn’t the only one looking around.
Passing scientists spotted the well-camouflaged animal — and discovered a new species.
Researchers visited the Chalkewadi Windmill Farm and nearby areas in 2022 as part of a wildlife survey, according to a study published Feb. 3 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. The surrounding Chalkewadi Plateau “is a critical biodiversity hub.”
During the surveys, researchers found several unfamiliar-looking lizards. They took a closer look at the animals and soon realized they’d discovered a new species: Hemidactylus amarasinghei, or Amarasinghe’s house gecko.
Amarasinghe’s house geckos are considered “medium-sized,” reaching just over 4 inches in length, the study said. They have “elongated” bodies covered in spikes, pointed “spurs” near the base of their tails and “strongly curved” claws. Their “short” heads have “large” brown eyes with unique, serrated pupils.
Photos show the brown coloring of the new species. The geckos have a mixture of dark brown blotches on a pale gray-brown background. Overall, they blend in well with the surrounding rocks.
Amarasinghe’s house geckos live in “rocky patches in an open landscape of grasslands and clusters of low vegetation” at an elevation of about 3,450 feet, the study said. Researchers saw them hunting at night and hiding under rocks during the day.
So far, Amarasinghe’s house geckos have only been found at one site near the Chalkewadi Windmill Farm in Maharashtra, a roughly 930-mile drive southwest of New Delhi, researchers said. The farm “is one of the largest such facilities in Asia” and “has been developed into a popular tourist destination.”
During their visits, researchers saw “fallen stones on the plateau (that) serve as hiding places for the new species … being taken away for construction purposes. Additionally, maintenance staff of the windmill faculty were found traveling with heavy machinery vehicles, posing a significant threat to the local reptilian diversity.”
Researchers said they named the new species after A. A. Thasun Amarasinghe, a “renowned Indonesian herpetologist,” because of “his enormous contribution to Asian herpetological research since 2005.”
The new species was identified by its scale pattern, spikes and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 11% genetic divergence from other related gecko species.
The research team included Amit Sayyed, Rahul Khot and Jayaditya Purkayastha.
This story was originally published February 3, 2025 at 1:29 PM with the headline "Spiky ‘large’-eyed creature found hunting near windmills in India. It’s a new species."
