Quentin Wheeler guardian.co.uk 13 Jun 10;
A 24-year-old reptile enthusiast leading a nature tour near Junagadh, India, noticed a gecko on the loose boulders of the walls of the Vagheshwari Mata temple that he recognised as unusual. It proved to be a species new to science, Hemidactylus gujaratensis.
Although primarily nocturnal, the species was common at the site which is a popular tourist destination located in disturbed forest (a forest habitat which has been affected by human activity) near the city. The genus is the second largest of the gecko family with 85 species, 24 of which occur in India where the group remains incompletely explored. It's named after the state of Gujarat where diverse habitats are likely to yield additional new reptiles.