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Nactus pelagicus (GIRARD, 1858)

IUCN Red List - Nactus pelagicus - Least Concern, LC
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Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Pelagic Gecko, Rock Gecko 
SynonymGymnodactylus Arnouxii DUMÉRIL 1851
Heteronota pelagica GIRARD 1858: 197
Heteronota fasciata MACLEAY 1877: 100 (non Homonota fasciatus BLYTH)
Heteronota marmorata MACLEAY 1877: 100
Gymnodactylus arnouxii — BOULENGER 1885: 39
Gymnodactylus pelagicus — BOULENGER 1885: 40
Gymnodactylus pelagicus — GARMAN 1901: 1
Gymnodactylus pelagicus — DE ROOIJ 1915: 6
Gymnodactylus pelagicus — BURT & BURT 1932
Cyrtodactylus pelagicus — UNDERWOOD 1954: 475
Gymnodactylus pelagicus — TANNER 1950
Nactus arnouxii — KLUGE 1983: 469
Cyrtodactylus pelagicus — ZUG 1985
Nactus pelagicus — GREER 1989
Nactus pelagicus — RÖSLER 1995: 134
Nactus pelagicus — COGGER 2000: 253
Nactus ‘pelagicus’ — WILSON & SWAN 2010
Nactus cf. pelagicus — KOCH 2011: 189
Nactus pelagicus — ZUG 2020: 49 
DistributionPapua New Guinea, Melanesia to central Pacific; Micronesia (Lukunor Atoll, Uman District Islands etc.),
Akiaki, Tuamotu Archipelago, Fiji Islands, Rotuma, Western Samoa, Solomon Islands [Nactus multicarinatus; McCoy 2000], New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, Cook Islands (Roratonga), Tonga Islands, Guam
Indonesia (Talaud archipelago, Sulawesi etc.),
Australia (Queensland: Cape York Peninsula and Mornington Island),

USA: Northern Mariana Islands, Guam.

Type locality: Samoa (as Navigator Ils.) and Fiji, restricted to Ovalau, Fiji (Zug and Moon, 1995:88).  
ReproductionNactus pelagicus is a composite of unisexual [parthenogenetic] and bisexual populations. Note however that Zug and Moon (1995) recognized Nactus pelagicus as the asexual species for the populations in southern Vanuatu and elsewhere in Oceania, and N. multicarinatus for the bisexual species from Vanuatu and the southern Solomon Islands. 
TypesLectotype: USNM 5626 (2 specimens) 
DiagnosisAdditional details, e.g. a detailed description or comparisons (1436 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentDistribution: Erroneously reported from the Society Archipelago (HR 26: 159). A population on Guam was thought to be extinct but rediscovered after 50 years (Rodda & Fritts 1996). Many populations of Nactus were described as new by Zug, including those formerly included in N. pelagicus. See list of Nactus and their ranges.

Synonymy: Gymnodactylus multicarinatus GÜNTHER 1872 has been removed from the synonymy of Nactus pelagicus and elevated to full species status by ZUG & MOON 1995. Heteronota eboracensis MACLEAY 1877 and Gymnodactylus cheverti BOULENGER 1885 are treated here as full species following COGGER 2000, although other authors synoymize them with N. pelagicus. Zug 2020 removed Gymnodactylus (Heteronota) arfakianus MEYER 1874: 129 and Gymnodactylus heteronotus BOULENGER 1885 from the synonymy of N. pelagicus and revalidated both species.

Subspecies: Nactus pelagicus undulatus (KOPSTEIN 1926) has been elevated to full species by Zug 2020.

Type species: Gymnodactylus Arnouxii DUMÉRIL 1851 is the type species of the genus Nactus KLUGE 1983: 469

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyThe species name pelagicus derives from the Greek adjective pelagikos for “of the sea.”

Etymology (genus): Nactus is Latin for "stumbled upon," which alludes to Kluge’s discovery by chance of the assemblage of species within Cyrtodactylus. 
References
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