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Diplodactylus custos COUPER, OLIVER & PEPPER, 2014

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Higher TaxaDiplodactylidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Kimberley Fat-tailed gecko 
SynonymDiplodactylus custos COUPER, OLIVER & PEPPER in OLIVER et al. 2014: 39 
DistributionAustralia (NE Western Australia)

Type locality: The Grotto (15° 43’ 04” S, 128° 15’ 35” E) WA  
Reproductionoviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: WAM R164780. Paratypes. WAM R77417, Port Warrender (14° 34’ S, 125° 48’ 15” E) WA; WAM R78243, Mitchell Plateau (14° 44’ S, 125° 44’ E) WA; WAM R172916, Doongan Stn (15° 13’ 44.5” S, 125° 12’ 30.4” E) WA; WAM R132713, 30km SSE Wyndham (15° 42’ 43” S, 128° 15’ 56” E) WA; SAMA R63942, The Grotto (15° 43’ 04” S, 128° 15’ 35” E) WA; WAM R162453, 20km W Kununurra (15° 45’ 59” S, 128° 40’ 18” S) WA;WAM R85120-21, Kununurra (15° 46’ S, 128°44’ E) WA; WAM R119666, Cockburn Ra. (15° 50’ S, 128° 02’ E) WA; WAM R172853, Ellen- brae Stn (15° 59’ 02” S, 127° 03’ 14” E) WA; WAM R145042, Koolan Island (16° 07’ 54” S, 123° 45’ 29” E) WA; WAM R11255, Wotjulum (16° 11’ S, 123° 37’ E) WA; WAM R172675, Talbot Bay (16° 20’ 07” S, 124° 03’ 10” E) WA; WAM R70374, near Lissadell homestead (16° 40’ S, 128° 23’ 13” E) WA; WAM R103420, WAM R103448, Bungle Bungle NP (17° 24’ S, 128° 45’ E) WA. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A large member of the D. conspicillatus group (max SVL 61 mm) with a well-defined canthal stripe and a greatly enlarged first supralabial (first supralabial contacts ventral edge of nasal scale). Mid-dorsal scales on trunk plate-like and markedly larger than smaller dorsolaterals. Scales on nape granular and only slightly larger than granules on side of neck. Original tail with a short, acute attenuated extension at tip (Fig. 6F in OLIVER et al. 2014); scales on dorsal surface ar- ranged in transverse rows generally of uniform size but if smaller scale rows are present, these rarely form a double row and the small scales are ~ 1⁄2 the size of the scales in the adjacent large rows (Fig. 6F). Dark pigment on crown and snout generally not contrasting sharply with pale canthal stripe and lower jaw colour. Body pattern often diffuse and generally without nu- merous pale spots; may incorporate wavy, dark transverse bands.


Additional details (2004 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDistribution: see map in OLIVER et al. 2014 (Fig. 3). 
EtymologyFrom the latin for guard, with reference to the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) and their ambitious and effective conservation and research programs in the Kimberley (where this species is endemic) and elsewhere in Australia. Used as a noun in apposition. 
References
  • Ellis, Ryan J.; Paul Doughty and Aaron M. Bauer 2018. An annotated type catalogue of the geckos and pygopods (Squamata: Gekkota: Carphodactylidae, Diplodactylidae, Gekkonidae, Pygopodidae) in the collection of the Western Australian Museum. Records of the Western Australian Museum 33: 051–094 - get paper here
  • Oliver PM, Couper PJ, Pepper M 2014. Independent Transitions between Monsoonal and Arid Biomes Revealed by Systematic Revison of a Complex of Australian Geckos (Diplodactylus; Diplodactylidae). PLoS One 9 (12): e111895. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111895 - get paper here
  • 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
 
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