Itanagar: Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India have discovered two new lizard species in Arunachal Pradesh — Ptyctolaemus siangensis and Ptyctolaemus namdaphaensis.
The finding also resolves a century-old mystery regarding the distribution of fan-throated lizards in Northeast India.
“These findings highlight the remarkable hidden reptile diversity of India’s Northeast, and underscore the importance of revisiting old museum records, field surveys, and genetic data to clarify species distribution across the region,” Dr Abhijit Das, Scientist at Wildlife Institute of India said.
Green fan-throated lizards, previously believed to be widely distributed across Northeast India, have now been accurately identified through an integrated taxonomic study combining morphology, genetics, and natural history observations.
For decades, this species was referred to as Green Fan Throated Lizard (Ptyctolaemus gularis), a name given to a historical specimen that was originally purchased in Kolkata during British time. However, this species is found only on the hills of northeast India.
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“Because of the ambiguous collection locality of the type specimen, researchers struggled to confirm the actual identity and distribution of Green Fan Throated Lizard in Northeast India. As a result, multiple similar-looking populations across the region were lumped together under a single name, masking true biodiversity,” he said.
