Calotes Zolaiking, a lizard recorded for the first time in Meghalaya. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The loyal species newly recorded in Meghalaya has become a catalyst for the protection of the community in the area of the state, which has long been influenced by limestone mining and extinct cement plant.
Calotes Zolaiking, a kind of garden lizard, was first described in 2019 from Mizoram’s Aizawl District by a team of scientists. His recent observations in Mawluh, in the eastern part of Khasi Hills in Meghalaya, expanded the known extent of the species by approximately 172 km by air.
What distinguishes Meghalaya is a key role played by two villagers – Goldenstar Thongni and Banylllashisha Wankhar – who were among the eight authors of the study published in the latest issue of Zootaxa, reviewed by animal taxonomy.
Mr. Thongni, Resident Rohbah in the southwest of Khasi Hills and Nature enthusiast, cooperated on the study, while Mrs. Wankhar, who runs a grocery store in Mawluh, collected the first of two specimens to confirm the species. “This lizard looked strange,” said a 25 -year -old woman, thinking about her initial observation.
Although it is not new in science, the presence of reptiles in Mawluh has taken over local significance and caused protection throughout the region, especially in Sohra (Cherrapunji).
“We have our sacred groves where no one can remove a twig or dead leaf, but the greenery was under stress due to mining and industrial activities,” said Kupar Lyngdoh, director of the village of Mawluh. “The lizard is our pride in introducing ourselves in a global scientific journal. It has exempted us to intensify our efforts to protect in the hope that local and scientists will find more faunal species,” Hindu said.
Herpetologist Jayaditya Purkayastha based in Guwahati and one of the authors of the study attributed the villagers to a critical foundation. “A juvenile man and an adult pregnant woman helped us describe this lizard belonging to the genus Calotes, which currently includes 30 recognized species from south to Southeast Asia and oceans,” he said.
India is home to 14 species of Kalots, nine of which were recorded in the northeast.
In April 2024, scientists observed two specimens of adults, which were heated to low -laid bushes, although they cannot be captured for study. Only after the subsequent successful collection of specimens was confirmed a record of Meghalaya.
The authors quoted the example of Stoliczkia Khasiensis, a snake described from the hills of Khasi in 1870, but never saw again to emphasize the importance of lasting and systematic surveys. “This emphasizes the importance of conducting continuous and complex herpetofaunal surveys in the hills of Khasi and its neighboring hills, especially with regard to the ongoing decrease in forest cover due to anthropogenic pressures,” the study noted.
Published – May 30, 2025 21:24
