Tue Jul 15 07:01:10 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article summarizing the provided text, suitable for The Hindu:

**The Hindu: New Diurnal Gecko Species Discovered in Assam, Named After Brahmaputra River**

**Guwahati, July 15, 2025:** A new species of gecko has been discovered in Assam and named *Cnemaspis brahmaputra* after the mighty Brahmaputra River. This diurnal, or daytime-active, gecko was found near the Dirgheswari Temple on the northern bank of the river, across from Guwahati.

The discovery was published in *Taprobanica: The Journal of Asian Biodiversity* by a team of researchers from the Wildlife Protection and Research Society (Maharashtra), the Research Centre for Biosystematics and Evolution (Indonesia), Assam Don Bosco University, and Help Earth.

Unlike many of its relatives in Northeast India, *Cnemaspis brahmaputra* is active during the day. The discovery also bolsters evidence of a historical biogeographic connection between Sri Lanka and Northeast India, as the new species belongs to the *Cnemaspis podihuna* clade, a group previously thought to be mainly confined to Sri Lanka. Despite being related, genetic and morphological analysis reveals the Assamese gecko to be distinct, exhibiting unique features like a larger body size, fewer mid-body scale rows, and differences in thigh scales.

This is only the second *Cnemaspis* species documented in Northeast India, the first being *Cnemaspis assamensis*, discovered in 2000. Both species are confined to the Brahmaputra River valley, residing on opposite banks.

“We decided to name the new species of gecko after the Brahmaputra, as it is a major ecological and cultural artery of northeast India,” said Jayaditya Purkayastha of Help Earth. “The river has played a crucial role in shaping the region’s biodiversity, serving as both a geographic barrier and a corridor for evolutionary processes.” This discovery underscores the rich biodiversity of the Brahmaputra River region and the ongoing importance of conservation efforts.

**[End of Article]**

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