Gehyra macra DOUGHTY, BAUER, PEPPER & KEOGH, 2018
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Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Large Pilbara Rock Gehyra |
Synonym | Gehyra macra DOUGHTY, BAUER, PEPPER & KEOGH 2018: 19 |
Distribution | Australia (Western Australia: northern edge of the Pilbara, including south and east of Port Hedland, Shay Gap, Cundaline Gap and near Braeside on the eastern edge of the Pilbara) Type locality: Baldy Rock (21.05°S, 118.80°E) |
Reproduction | oviparous (not imputed, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
Types | Holotype: WAM R162703, an adult male collected from Baldy Rock (21.05°S, 118.80°E), by P. Doughty, C.A. Stevenson, and P.G. Kendrick on 17 May 2006. Paratypes: WAM R154517 (male), Yarrie Mining Camp (20.533°S, 120.233°E); WAM R156587 (male), (20.5488°S, 120.1681°E); R160096–7 (males), WAM R160098 (female), 13 km southeast of Braeside (21.280°S; 121.096°E); WAM R162688 (female), WARM R162701 (female), WAM R162702 (male), as for holotype; WAM R173363 (males), Roy Hill Rail chainage 76, 65 km south of Port Hedland (20.9658°S, 118.6844°E); WAM R173364 (female) and WAM R173366 (male), Roy Hill Rail chainage 75, 67 km south of Port Hedland (20.9618°S, 118.6846°E), Western Australia. |
Diagnosis | DIAGNOSIS: Differs from non-Australian Gehyra by lack of extensive webbing between toes III and IV and a cutaneous fold along the posterior margin of the hindlimb, and the presence of transversely widened subcaudal scales. Distinguished from Australian G. variegata group members by very large body size (to 73.5 mm SVL), depressed body and head, relatively slender tail, moderately long and broad snout with swollen nostril region, robust jaw adductor musculature, strongly gabled rostral, upper postnasal half the size of lower, 0–1 internasals, first supralabial slightly taller and narrower than second, 9–10 supralabials, inner chin shields in contact with second infralabial, first parinfralabial encroaching on third infralabial, fourth finger lamellae 8–9, fourth toe lamellae 8–10, lamellae divided and lacking wedge of granules at base of toe, pre-cloacal pores in adult males 14–21; reddish to greyish-brown background colour, dorsal pattern variable, with scattered pale and dark spots, short transverse bars or blotches usually not in contact, slightly paler vertebral zone, canthal and loreal head stripes present but variable expressed, temporal head stripe short or reduced to a spot, post-orbital stripes absent. |
Comment | Habitat: beneath exfoliating rocks on granite rock outcrops Although only weakly divergent from G. punctata in the mtDNA phylogram shown in Figure 1, G. macra sp. nov. differed in the nDNA data set of Ashman et al. (2018) and differed strikingly in morphology across several characters as well. The more subdued greyish-brown colouration with more poorly-defined spots compared to G. punctata may be an adaptation to the relatively low and browner granite outcrops of the northern Pilbara where this species occurs (Pepper et al. 2013). Distribution: see map in Doughty et al. 2018: 7 (Fig. 2). |
Etymology | Macra is derived from the Greek makros meaning large or long. It is used as an adjective here. |
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