Spiky creature — with ‘bent’ toes — found in cliffs of Vietnam. It’s a new species
Shielded by the darkness, a spiky creature climbed around a rocky forest of Vietnam. The animal’s night might have started like any other — but it wasn’t going to end that way.
A beam of light swept through the trees. The spiky animal froze; its short limbs clinging to the vine.
It had been discovered.
Scientists ventured into the rocky forest of Lao Cai Province on several wildlife surveys in 2022 and 2023, according to a study published Feb. 19 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys.
On these nocturnal surveys, researchers found five geckos they didn’t recognize, the study said. They studied the lizards and quickly realized they’d discovered a new species: Cyrtodactylus luci, or Luc’s bent-toed gecko.
Luc’s bent-toed geckos are considered “medium”-sized, reaching about 7.7 inches in length, the study said. They have “copper” eyes with a yellow, eyelash-like “fringe” of scales. Spiky bumps are scattered across their bodies.
A photo shows a Luc’s bent-toed gecko. It has a light brown body with darker brown blotches. Yellow spikes dot its back and limbs. Its fingers and toes appear to bend in the middle.
Luc’s bent-toed geckos were found at night on karst limestone cliffs and in the trees and vines of a nearby forest, the study said.
Researchers said they named the new species after Luc Van Pham, a zoologist “who contributed greatly” to the study of biodiversity in Vietnam.
So far, Luc’s bent-toed gecko has only been found at one site in Lao Cai Province, the study said. This province is along the Vietnam-China border and about 150 miles northwest of Hanoi.
The new species was identified by its spikes, scale pattern, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 9% genetic divergence from other bent-toed geckos.
The research team included Tung Thanh Tran, Quyen Hanh Do, Cuong The Pham, Tien Quang Phan, Hanh Thi Ngo, Minh Duc Le, Thomas Ziegler and Truong Quang Nguyen.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 1:04 PM with the headline "Spiky creature — with ‘bent’ toes — found in cliffs of Vietnam. It’s a new species."
