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Nephrurus laevissimus MERTENS, 1958

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Higher TaxaCarphodactylidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Smooth Knob-tail 
SynonymNephrurus levis KINGHORN 1924 (part.)
Nephrurus laevissimus MERTENS 1958
Nephrurus laevissimus — KLUGE 1993
Nephrurus laevissimus — COGGER 2000: 256
Nephrurus laevissimus — OLIVER & BAUER 2011
Nephrurus laevissimus — COGGER 2014: 266
Nephrurus leavissumus — DITTMER et al. 2020 (in error)
Nephrurus laevissimus — CHAPPLE et al. 2019: 103 
DistributionAustralia (SW Northern Territory, W South Australia, Western Australia)

Type locality: 2 km NW of Ayera Rock, N. T.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: SMF 53201 (laevissimus) 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: Two ribless cervical vertebrae; phalangeal formulae 2-3-3-3-3 (manus and pes); metatarsals two or more times length of corresponding phalanges; flanks smooth; tail moderate, with 5—7 rows of caudal tubercles and 13—19 caudal annuli. (Bauer 1990) 
CommentAbundance: common, with more than 1000 specimens collected (Pianka 2011)

Distribution: see map in Bauer 1990: 144 (Fig. 61) 
EtymologyPresumably named after the Latin levis (smooth), plus the superlative suffix -issimus, referring to this species being even smoother than the previously described N. levis. (G. Shea, pers. comm., 9 Feb 2024) 
References
  • Bauer, A.M. 1990. Phylogenetic systematics and biogeography of the Carphodactylini (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Bonner zool. Monogr. 30: 1-220 - get paper here
  • Chapple, David G.; Reid Tingley, Nicola J. Mitchell, Stewart L. Macdonald, J. Scott Keogh, Glenn M. Shea, Philip Bowles, Neil A. Cox, John C. Z. Woinarski 2019. The Action Plan for Australian Lizards and Snakes 2017. CSIRO, 663 pp. DOI: 10.1071/9781486309474 - get paper here
  • Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, xxx + 1033 pp. - get paper here
  • Cogger, H.G. 2000. Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Dittmer, D. E., Chapman, T. L. & Bidwell, J. R. 2020. In the shadow of an iconic inselberg: Uluru’s shadow influences climates and reptile assemblage structure at its base. J. Arid Environ. 181, 104179 (2020) - get paper here
  • Hays, Brenton J.; Joseph R. Bidwell and Drew E. Dittmer 2019. An assessment of thermal preference of two species of Knob-tailed Geckos, Nephrurus levis and N. laevissimus, at Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park. Northern Territory Naturalist 29: 40-53 - get paper here
  • Jolly, C., Schembri, B., & Macdonald, S. 2023. Field Guide to the Reptiles of the Northern Territory. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne - get paper here
  • Laube, Andreas 2001. Captive Maintenance and Breeding of Some Ground Dwelling Australian Geckos, Part 1: Nephrurus laevissimus and Nephrurus levis. Gekko 2 (1): 30-36
  • Mertens, R. 1958. Neue Eidechsen aus Australien. Senckenbergiana Biologica 39:51-56.
  • Mertens, R. 1967. Die herpetologische Sektion des Natur-Museums und Forschungs-Institutes Senckenberg in Frankfurt am Main nebst einem Verzeichnis ihrer Typen. Senckenbergiana Biologica 48: 1-106 - get paper here
  • Oliver, P.M. & Bauer, A.M. 2011. Systematics. and evolution of the Australian knob-tail geckos (Nephrurus, Carphodactylidae, Gekkota): Pleisomorphic grades and biome shifts through the Miocene. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 59 (3): 664-674 - get paper here
  • Sameit, H. J. 1988. Asper &Co. Australische Knopfschwanzgeckos. DATZ 41: 162-163
  • Storr, G. M. 1963. The gekkonid genus Nephrurus in Western Australia, including a new species and three new subspecies. J. Royal Soc. Western Australia, 46:85-90. - get paper here
  • Wilson, S. & Swan, G. 2010. A complete guide to reptiles of Australia, 3rd ed. Chatswood: New Holland, 558 pp.
 
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