''Eublepharis pictus'', the painted leopard gecko, is a species of

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

that lives in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. The species ''E. pictus'' is 117mm (4.6 inches) in length. The species lives in dry evergreen forest mixed in with scrubs and meadows. ''Eublepharis pictus'' is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

and has been observed foraging along trails after dusk using its

tongue The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste bu ...

as a sensory organ by licking surfaces. ''Eublepharis pictus'' has 23 to 26 rows of large flat tubercle-like keeled scales across the dorsum intermixed with smaller scales. A single pale band between the nuchal loop and the caudal constriction. Smooth subdigital

lamellae Lamella (plural lamellae) means a small plate or flake in Latin, and in English may refer to: Biology * Lamella (mycology), a papery rib beneath a mushroom cap * Lamella (botany) * Lamella (surface anatomy), a plate-like structure in an animal * ...

on digital IV of pes 19; 17-18 precloacal pores in an angulate series lacking a

diastema A diastema (plural diastemata, from Greek διάστημα, space) is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars. More colloquially, the condition ...

. E. pictus was discovered on the year of 2022 in Andhra Pradesh, in

. The species is widespread in the forest but may be near threatened due to

wildlife trade Wildlife trade refers to the of products that are derived from non-domesticated animals or plants usually extracted from their natural environment or raised under controlled conditions. It can involve the trade of living or dead individuals, t ...

and the illegal smuggling of ''Eublepharis pictus''. ''Eublepharis pictus'' was discovered when a dead female of the species was found in a water tank in

Vishakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to t ...

. The specimen was collected washed and then placed in 4% formaldehyde for two days and later placed into 70% ethanol and deposited in the collection of the

National Centre for Biological Sciences National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, Karnataka, is a research centre specialising in biological research. It is a part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) under the Department of Atomic Energy of the G ...

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, India.

Morphology

'' Eublepharis angramainyu'' is a sister to all other ''

Eublepharis ''Eublepharis'' is a genus of terrestrial geckos native to eastern and southwestern Asia. The genus was first described by the British zoologist John Edward Gray in 1827. The etymology of their name is 'eu' = good (=true) , 'blephar' = eyelid, ...

'' species and the ''

Eublepharis hardwickii The East Indian leopard gecko (''Eublepharis hardwickii''), also known commonly as Hardwicke's gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Eublepharidae. The species is endemic to India and Bangladesh. Etymology The specific name, ''ha ...

'' group is sister to the ''

Eublepharis macularius The leopard gecko or common leopard gecko (''Eublepharis macularius'') is a ground-dwelling lizard native to the rocky dry grassland and desert regions of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. The leopard gecko has become a popular pet, ...

'' clade. Relationships between the ''E. macularius'' clade have poor to moderate support. The ''E. hardwickii'' group show two distinct well-supported clades corresponding to the population from the north and south. The northern population represents ''E. hardwickii'' while the south represents an unnamed taxon which was described as ''E. pictus''. CC-BY icon

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Reference

{{Taxonbar, from=Q112875106 pictus Reptiles of India Endemic fauna of India Fauna of Andhra Pradesh Reptiles described in 2022