Mniarogekko chahoua (BAVAY, 1869)
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Higher Taxa | Diplodactylidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Bavay's Giant Gecko, New Caledonian mossy gecko, Mossy prehensile-tailed gecko G: Neukaledonischer Riesengecko |
Synonym | Platydactylus Chahoua BAVAY 1869: 3 Platydactylus (Rhacodactylus) chahoua -SAUVAGE 1879: 66 (partim) Chameleonurus chahoua — BOULENGER 1879 (partim) Rhacodactylus chahoua — BOULENGER 1883: 125 Rhacodactylus chahoua — BOULENGER 1885: 177 Rhacodactylus chahoua — ROUX 1913 Rhacodactylus chahoua — MERTENS 1964: 55 Rhacodactylus chahoua — KLUGE 1993 Rhacodactylus chahoua — RÖSLER 2000: 108 Rhacodactylus chahua [sic] — BRUSE 2004 Mniarogekko chahoua — BAUER et al. 2012 |
Distribution | S/C New Caledonia Type locality: Canala, New Caledonia. |
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Neotype: CAS 156692, designated by Bauer (1985). Original holotype, EMNB (Musée de l'Ecole de Médecine Navale de Brest), lost. |
Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus). Mniarogekko may be distinguished from all other New Caledonian diplodactylid geckos by the following combination of character states: body large (to 147 mm SVL); head moderately-sized; tail approximately equal to SVL; dorsal scalation granular, homogeneous; loose folds of skin present on margins of mandible and along ventrolateral border of body; expanded undivided subdigital lamellae under all toes; webbing between digits relatively extensive; claw of digit I of manus and pes positioned lateral to a single, undivided apical lamella; precloacal pores in three or four rows in males, anterior two rows extending onto base of thighs (70–120 pores in total); dorsal color pattern highly variable but consisting of a gray, olive, brown, reddish or orangey background usually with dark middorsal blotches and/or transverse markings, with one or more patches of ashy to lichenous green patches; venter cream to greenish. |
Comment | Abundance: Uncommon and restricted to a few localities. Type Species: Platydactylus chahoua Bavay, 1869 is the type species of the genus Mniarogekko Bauer, Whitaker, Sadlier & Jackman 2012. |
Etymology | The genus name is derived from the Greek word mniaros, meaning mossy and gekko, from the Malay ‘gekoq’, onomatopoeia of the call of the species Gekko gecko and the common name to all limbed gekkotans. A Sri Lankan origin for the word gekko, derived from the Sinhalese word ‘gego’, is also possible (de Silva & Bauer, 2008). The name is masculine and should be pronounced “Nē-aro-gekko.” It refers to the mossy or lichenous markings that are common on members of this genus. (de Vosjoli et al. 2003). |
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