New Zealand biologists discover new species of gecko in Brothers Islands

Researchers from the University of Otago have described a new species of New Zealand gecko that lives on the Brothers and Trios Islands in the Cook Strait.

Report informs via foreign media that, according to lead researcher Laci Skarsbrook, these animals were previously classified as Hoplodactylus duvaucelii (“Duvosel’s gecko”), which lives off the North Island. But over time, experts began to notice a big difference between the populations. The new gecko species is smaller, has different body colors and patterns, and has unique genetic traits.

“It wasn’t until we used advanced ancient DNA analysis techniques to reconstruct the genomes of extinct populations of these reptiles that we realized how different they really are. The species diverged about five million years ago,” the scientist said.

Since there are currently less than a thousand representatives of the new species, it was immediately listed in the Red Book as endangered.