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Gehyra insulensis (GIRARD, 1858)

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Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Pacific Stump-toed Gecko
G: Pazifischer Vierkrallengecko 
SynonymDactyloperus insulensis GIRARD 1858: 197
Gehyra insulensis — BOULENGER 1885: 150
Gehyra insulanus — UNDERWOOD 1954
Gehyra insulensis — ZUG et al. 2012
Gehyra insulensis — ZUG 2013: 82
Gehyra insulensis — BUDEN & TABOROŠI 2016 
DistributionCook Islands (Roratonga), Tonga, Micronesia

Type locality: Sandwich Islands

Introduced to Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), fide Hileman et al. 2020.  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesLectotype: USNM 21219 (designated by WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: G. insulensis seems to be different from G. mutilata only genetically. Adults 36–50 mm SVL (vs. 59–84 mm in G. oceanica). Tail flattened cylindrical without distinct segmentation (oceanica with distinct segmentation) and with a ventrolateral bor- der of small elongate scales; distinct digital pads with 8–9 subdigital lamellae (12-16 in oceanica) on fourth digit of hindfoot (modified after Zug 2013: plate 5). 
CommentSynonymy: Gehyra insulensis has been synonymized with G. mutilata by many previous authors but more recently accepted as a valid species. Sometimes cited as GIRARD 1857. 
References
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. Geckonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae. London: 450 pp. - get paper here
  • Buden, Donald W. & Danko Taboroši 2016. Reptiles of the Federated States of Micronesia. Island Research and Education Initiative, 311 pp. - get paper here
  • Delrieu-Trottin, Erwan; Thore Koppetsch, Ann-Helén Rønning, and Michael Matschiner 2025. Thor Heyerdahl's Legacy: Ichthyological and Herpetological Collection on Fatu Hiva (Marquesas Islands) in 1937. Pacific Science 78(4): 373-385 - get paper here
  • Girard, C. 1858. Descriptions of some new Reptiles, collected by the US. Exploring Expedition under the command of Capt. Charles Wilkes, U.S.N. Fourth Part. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci Philadelphia 1857: 195-199 - get paper here
  • Hathaway, S. A., Jacobi, J. D., Peck, R., Backlin, A. R., Hitchcock, C. J., & Fisher, R. N. 2025. Biodiversity surveys of Wake Atoll—Featuring field guides for plants, arthropods, and herpetofauna. US Geological Survey (No. 2023-1066) - get paper here
  • Hileman, Eric T.; Bradley A. Eichelberger, Jill Liske-Clark, Patrick D. Barnhart, Robert N. Reed, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Melia G. Nafus 2020. Landscape dominance of introduced herpetofauna on an oceanic island. Global Ecology and Conservation - get paper here
  • Ineich, I. 2016. Reptiles terrestres et marins des îles Marquises:des espèces communes mais des populations isolées. In:Biodiversité Terrestre et Marine des Îles Marquises, PolynésieFrançaise; Galzin, R., Duron, S.-D., Meyer, J.-Y.,Eds. Paris, France, Société Française d’Ichtyologie, pp. 365–390. - get paper here
  • Kaiser, Hinrich; Kaitlin J Rickerl, Melinda M Hull, Morgan M Lewis, Mitzia J Zambada 2020. Herpetological Update from Arno Atoll, Republic of the Marshall Islands. Herpetology Notes 13: 699-712 - get paper here
  • Underwood, Garth 1954. On the classifcation and evolution of geckos. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 124 (3): 469-492
  • Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
  • Zug, G. R., I. Ineich, G. Pregill, and A. M. Hamilton. 2012. Lizards of Tonga and a description of a new Tongan treeskink (Squamata: Scincidae: Emoia samoensis Group). Pacific Science 66(2):225-237 - get paper here
  • Zug, G.R. 1985. Pacific Island Lizards: Status of Type Specimens from the US Exploring Expedition 1838-1842 Copeia 1985 (1): 150-154. - get paper here
  • ZUG, G.R. 2013. Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands. University of California Press, Berkeley, 306 pp. - get paper here
 
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