UKHRUL: The rare dark brown and purple Bent-toed Gecko, not known to many of the people of Ukhrul was sighted by a middle age man in a thickly forested area on January 31, 2026 at Hunphun village in Ukhrul district, Manipur.
Ramshim Zimik of Viewland first spotted the single Bent-toed Gecko while working near a rivulet in the Tuira farmland area of Ukhrul district. According to him, he heard an unusual sound from the nearby forest and, out of curiosity, began searching the area. The gecko was eventually found living in decayed wood.
Witnessing the species for the first time, he hurried to capture it due to the reptile’s unique looks. Zimik fed the Gecko with insects for sometime, but he later changed his mind. He believed it would have been a sin to make the animal a ‘caged prisoner’. He let the animal free and released it to the same forest area. According to him, the Gecko is about 100 grams in weight, roughly 25 cm in length with four legs and sticky toes pads.
Meanwhile, Shimreisa Ragui an elder from Ukhrul stating that he had seen the purple Bent-toed Gecko somewhere at the Marongkhui forest area of Ukhrul. According to him, the local name of the gecko is Chirang haipho. It is seldom observed in Ukhrul which adds more curiosity to those that spot it.
The body appearance of the gecko can be easily identified as it has markings on the back of the body paired with dark blotches in transverse stripes. It has a whitish belly and is not venomous. They are active at night hours and their ecological habitat consists mainly of secondary forest comprising of bamboo and broad-leaved trees with moderately dense undergrowth of herbaceous vegetation, small rocky streams or waterfalls.
The scientific publication similar to this species Cyrtodactylus namtiram (Namtiram Bent-toed Gecko) has been recorded from the Namtiram village (approximately 7 km before reaching Aziuram village coming from Tamenglong town) Tamenglong district, Manipur by Mahony and Kamei in 2021.
Interestingly, the encounter from the present vicinity in Ukhrul district may add a new dimension to ongoing wildlife documentation and knowledge. It needs to be investigated their diversity, conservation status and distribution. The Ukhrul district in Manipur falls under the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot region, meaning high endemic wild plants and animals are present which requires extensive field work.It is to be noted that such study requires prior written permission from the concerned Forest Department.
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According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of 2024, they are classified under threatened category reported by Lasota et al. 2025. Until now, no other record is available from other parts of Manipur, except this present image which may be used to verify it’s taxonomic account.
The anecdotal encounter of Cyrtodactylus from this part of Ukhrul may encourage genuine wildlife research and inspire enthusiasts to contribute to the wider scientific community, while also raising awareness about the presence of this uncommon species among the general public.
(Authors: Dr. Ersilia Jajo, Department of Zoology, Pettigrew College, Ukhrul, Manipur. Mr. Ramshim Zimik, Hunphun, Ukhrul, Manipur. Mr. Mungchan Zimik, The Sangai English Express correspondent and Dr. Ht. Decemson, Department of Zoology, Don Bosco College (Autonomous), Maram, Senapati, Manipur)