The Aarey milk colony is home to the first ground-dwelling gecko discovered in the last 130 years in India, according to a recent research.

The species has been named Cyrtodactylus varadgirii to honour the contributions of taxonomist Dr Varad B Giri, post-doctoral fellow from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore.

The discovery of the gecko was a result of several years of meticulous efforts and collaboration by five researchers, including lead author Dr Ishan Agarwal from the Villanova University, US, Zeeshan Mirza and Anurag Mishra of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, Saunak Pal of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) in Mumbai and Dr Aaron Bauer of the Villanova University, US.

An overwhelmed Giri said the new species was earlier considered Geckoellacollegalensis, but morphological characters and molecular data studies revealed that it was a completely new species. "This uncommon species is mostly seen moving among the leaf litter on the forest floor. They are active during the night and take refuge under rocks and logs during the day. They grow to a length of around 6cm," he said, adding that the species was reported from various localities in Maharashtra, Gujarat and a locality in Madhya Pradesh.

Giri further informed that the new species was a member of subgenus Geckoella – small ground-dwelling geckos largely found in leaf litter in forests. "In Mumbai, it is found only in Aarey and SGNP. It has also been reported from Amravati and Chandrapur in Maharashtra," he said.

Giri already has two species – Dendrelaphis girii from the Western Ghats and Cnemaspis girii from the Kaas Plateau – named after him.

Meanwhile, Andheri resident Zeeshan Mirza, who first discovered the gecko and listed it in a detailed report on Aarey Colony's bio-diversity in 2010, said the discovery yet again showed the importance of Aarey colony and the need for its protection.

"It was the advance DNA study by Ishan Agarwal that helped identify and distinguish 'Giri's Geckoella'," said Mirza, adding that most of the known species in this group were forest dwellers but this new species was also known to inhabit human-dominated landscapes.

According to Mirza, Aarey is home to several species waiting to be described. It has rare and common spiders and several undiscovered vertebrates. Hence, the area should not be disturbed and be protected, he said.

Researchers are known to name newly described species after either the place where it is found or after famous researchers and scientists.