Scientists found a new kind of gecko named for post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh. A group of scientists from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation found this unusual lizard while exploring the Southern Western Ghats in southern India. They thought the back of Cnemaspis vangoghi looked like one of the world’s most famous paintings. The new species is discussed in a report published March 27 in the journal ZooKeys.
“Cnemaspis vangoghi , which is named after Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) because the new species' striking color is similar to one of his most famous paintings, The Starry Night,” according to study co-author and biologist Ishan Agarwal said in a statement.
The male of this species has a yellow head and front part, with light blue spots on their back. They live among the rocks in this mountainous and rainforest-covered area and are sometimes found on buildings and trees. Scientists do not currently know what Cnemaspis vangoghi eats, but other geckos eat crickets, earthworms, waxworms, mealworms, moths, fruit flies, or grasshoppers. Some geckos also eat fruit, such as papaya, pineapple, and grapes.
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Genetic sequencing helped the team determine that this is a new gecko species. There are about 1,500 known gecko species worldwide. These lizards are found on every continent except Antarctica, but are especially common in warmer areas. Ishan Agarwal and colleagues Akshay Khandekar and Tejas Thackeray discovered the new species during an April 2022 expedition in Tamil Nadu, India.
“Tamil Nadu is a very biodiverse state and we expect to name more than 50 new lizard species by the time we finish our expeditions!,” Agarwal said. “I also got over 500 tick bites during that summer trip, with the highest concentrations in the low-elevation, dry forests of Srivilliputhur, where the new species are found.”
Cnemaspis vangoghi is a small gecko that grows to only one to two inches in length. The largest known gecko in the world is the New Caledonian gecko. They are only found on the islands of New Caledonia in the South Pacific and can grow up to 14 inches long.
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Cnemaspis vangoghi was identified as a new species along with another species in the same group called Cnemaspis sathuragiriensis. This other gecko is named after its location, the Sathuragiri Hills.
“The two new species are found in low elevation [820 to 1,312 feet], deciduous forests of Srivilliputhur, and add to the five previously known unique vertebrates from Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India,” Agarwal said.
Both types of animals are active during the early morning when it's cool. They are only found in small areas, which makes them a special example of being limited to a very small area for low-elevation animals, according to Agarwal.
