A dedicated and concerted effort by a group of environmentalists has caused the rediscovery of the Geckoella Jeyporensis in the Eastern Ghats, in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The lizard has not been seen in 135 years, a scientist involved in the efforts revealed.

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"This gecko, a lizard of the Gekkonidae family, is morphologically unique. It was known only from a single male specimen collected in 1877 by a British officer, Col R.H. Beddome, from the Jeypore Hills, in modern Orissa," Varad Giri, a scientist with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), told IANS.

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The "re-discovery" of this species was the result of a joint venture between the Centre for Ecological Sciences of the Indian Institute of Science (CES-IISc), Bangalore, BNHS Mumbai and Villanova University, US. The journal Hamadryad has endorsed the rediscovery.

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