Family DIPLODACTYLIDAE - Diplodactylid Geckos

Scientific name

Common name

Place of origin

Size (max)

Notes

Uvidicolus sphyrurus

Border Thick-Tailed Gecko

Australia (New South Wales, S Queensland)

TL approx 9 cm SVL approx 6-7 cm 

A terrestrial gecko, apparently confined within its range to the northern granite belt, where it is closely associated with exfoliating rocky outcrops and stony hills in eucalyptus woodland [Cogger]. Description: head rather large; a strong transverse ridge crosses the occiput immediately behind the eyes, ending on either side in a blunt point placed at the postero-superior angle of the orbit; from this runs forward an inwardly curved, elevated, supraciliary ridge which is continued on the snout by a conversely curved angular canthus rostralis ; these ridges form the margin on the forehead of an oval, and between the orbits of a subtriangular, depression; loreal region concave; the length of the snout is one and two-fifths of the diameter of the eye, and the distance between the eye

and the ear-opening is equal to that between the eye and a point midway between the nostril and the tip of the snout. Interorbital space broad, broader in comparison than in G. platurus or G. cornutus. Ear-opening a narrow vertical slit, about one third of the diameter of the eye. Body short and rather compressed, barely two and a third times the length of the head. Limbs long; digits rather short and thick, subcylindrical at the base, and but little compressed on the distal phalanges. Scalation details: head covered with small granules intermixed with rounded tubercles, which are largest near the end of the snout; outer margin of the upper eyelid with two strong ridges upon which small tubercles predominate; two slight longitudinal folds on the sides of the neck and a vertical fold in front of the forelimb, all of which are more thickly studded with tubercles than are the surrounding parts; rostral hexagonal twice as broad as high, without any indication of median groove above; nostril directed posteriorly, bordered in front by a large nasal, which is larger than the first upper labial, and separated from the latter by a series of small granules; labials small, thirteen or fourteen upper and eleven lower; mental trapezoidal, bordered posteriorly by five small granules; body above covered by minute granules, intermixed with rounded and conical tubercles; limbs similarly protected, but with the granules larger and the tubercles smaller; below with flat subimbricate granules; no lateral fold. Tail: short, broad, and thick, depressed, malleiform, not contracted at the base, from which the enlarged portion expands at right angles; the expanded portion is formed of six broad transverse ridges, and is quadrilateral; its length is three-fourths of its breadth, which is one-sixth more than that of the body at its broadest part; it ends almost as abruptly as it commences, and terminates in an attenuated point, which rises from the postero-inferior margin of the swollen portion, and is barely four-sevenths of its length; the tail is covered above by minute granules anteriorly and much larger flattened subimbricate granules posteriorly; on the former portion there are four regular transverse series of strong conical tubercles, on the latter a single series on each side near the margin; sides with an upper series of very strong conical tubercles, and a lower series of weaker ones; below with subimbricate granules; attenuated portion covered with small rounded granules. Coloration: Head and neck above brown with darker and lighter marbling and most of the tubercles yellow; the sides pale yellowish-brown with irregular blackish bands, which are vertical on the former and horizontal on the latter; back brown with narrow yellowish transverse bands, mainly caused by the prevalence of that colour on the tubercles; sides and limbs light brown streaked and marbled with darker brown; under surface whitish, or dirty yellowish brown; tail above dark brown, the expanded portion with two broad light coloured cross-bands; the anterior near its commencement, the posterior marking its termination; below dark brown densely spotted with yellow; the attenuated portion with two annular yellow rings. [SOURCES: Cogger, Ogilby]