Abstract
The smooth-backed parachute gecko, Ptychozoon lionotum is reported from the mainland India for the first time. The nearest known previous record was from Pegu, Myanmar, about 700 km southeast of the previous location. The species was collected in Langtlai and seen in the Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary, both in south Mizoram. The collected individual was kept in captivity for four and a half months. during this time, opportunistic observations on activity pattern, food habits, escape and parachuting behavior were made. Both individuals showed slow, deliberate pre-escape movement previously unrecorded for Ptychozoon. Information on morphological characters and morphometric measurements is presented. Explanations for the disjunct distribution are discussed.
Key words: Reptilia, Gekkonidae, Ptychozoon, parachute gecko, Northeast India, Myanmar, distribution, biogeography, behavior
Pawar, Samraat S. and Sayantan Biswas. 2001. First Record of the Smooth-Backed Parachute Gecko Ptychozoon lionotum Annandale 1905 from the Indian Mainland. Asiatic Herpetological Research. 9; 101–106.
