Gehyra punctata (FRY, 1914)
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Gehyra punctata
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Spotted Pilbara Rock Gehyra, Spotted Dtella, Spotted Gecko E: Pilbara Spotted Gecko [fenestra] |
| Synonym | Peropus variegatus var. punctatus FRY 1914: 178 Gehyra variegata — LUCAS & FROST 1896 (partim) Peropus variegatus — ZIETZ 1920 (partim) Peropus variegatus punctatus — LOVERIDGE 1934 Gehyra variegata punctata — MITCHELL 1955 (partim) Gehyra variegatus punctatus — GLAUERT 1955 Gehyra punctata — WORRELL 1963 Gehyra fenestra MITCHELL 1965 Dactyloperus punctata — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1984 Dactyloperus punctatus — WELLS & WELLINGTON 1985 Gehyra punctata — KLUGE 1993 Gehyra fenestra — BAUER 1994: 81 Gehyra fenestra — RÖSLER 2000: 80 Gehyra punctata — COGGER 2000: 243 Gehyra punctata — WILSON & SWAN 2010 Gehyra punctata — DOUGHTY et al. 2018: 11 |
| Distribution | Australia (Western Australia: Pilbara craton, except the northern portion of the Pilbara where it is replaced by G. macra, isolated populations in the western edge of the Little Sandy Desert; Barrow Island) Type locality: Strelley River, Pilbara, Western Australia (20°33'S, 119°00'E) fenestra: Australia (Western Australia); Type locality: rock crevice near summit of Mt. Herbert (~21.33°S, 117.22°E) |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Lectotype: WAM R176100. formerly 9879; subadult female (designated by Doughty et al. 2018) Holotype: WAM 52122-4 Holotype: WAM 20199, collected by F. J. MITCHELL and W. H. BUTLER on the 25th July, 1958; Paratypes: WAM R20198, ‘roof of cave near Tambrey Homestead’; WAM R20200, ‘under rock, Big Hill Pool’; WAM R20201, ‘rocks on table-land behind Tambrey Homestead’; WAM R20202, ‘under rocks on the side of Mt. Herbert’; SAMA R496, ‘under rocks on the side of Mt. Herbert’; SAMA R4597, R4601–2, ‘3 specimens from table-land behind Tambrey Homestead’; SAMA R4600, ‘summit of Mt. Herbert’ [fenestra] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A medium-sized rock-inhabiting Gehyra with depressed head and body, swollen nostril region, boldly patterned upper surfaces (large dark and pale spots arranged in alternating transverse rows on back and tail), and large chin-shields, the anterior pair usually in contact with second lower labial [STORR 1982: 57]. DIAGNOSIS: Differs from non-Australian Gehyra by lack of extensive webbing between toes III and IV, a cutaneous fold along the posterior margin of the hindlimb and the presence of transversely widened subcaudal scales. Distinguished from other Australian Gehyra by possession of moderate body size (up to 65 mm SVL), gabled rostral, upper postnasal 1/3 the size of lower, 9–12 supralabials, first supralabial narrower and taller than second, mental length short often with concave sides where in contact with first infralabial, two pairs of chin shields, inner chin shield in contact with second infralabial, first parinfralabial encroaching on posterior edge of third infralabial; subdigital lamellae on fourth toe 7–8, lamellae divided and without basal wedge of granules; background colour reddish-brown with markings consisting of dark (anterior) and pale (posterior) bars or spots usually in contact (or narrowly separated), occasionally forming transverse bars; canthal, loreal, temporal and upper post-orbital stripes usually present, post-orbital stripe variably expressed, often reduced to a spot, pale patch between canthal and loreal stripes near eye; original tails ringed by dark (anterior) and pale (posterior) bands; typically 11–15 pre-cloacal pores in males. Further distinguished from other reddish-brown Gehyra from the region as follows. From G. fenestrula sp. nov., G. media sp. nov., G. micra sp. nov. and G. peninsularis sp. nov. by larger body size, broader snout, more pronounced jaw adductor muscles and first parinfralabial in contact with third (not second) infralabial; from G. macra sp. nov. by smaller body size, fewer subdigital lamellae and pre-cloacal pores, more reddish dorsum, and clearly demarcated markings comprised of dark (anterior) and pale (posterior) elements; from G. punctulata sp. nov. and G. polka sp. nov. by larger body size, first parinfralabial usually encroaching on posterior edge of third (not second) infralabial, and pale and dark elements of markings on dorsum in contact; from G. pilbara by larger body size, longer and broader snout, and larger markings on dorsum; and from G. montium by larger body size, absence of reticulations on dorsum and larger, more pronounced dark and pale markings [from Doughty et al. 2018: 12) Diagnosis (fenestra): Head and body strongly depressed. Three sternal and two mesosternal ribs; clavicles with large mesial dilations and prominent foramina; lateral coracoidal fenestra large, oval and clearly defined. Two fenestra in each pubis. Subapical pads well-developed with 9-11 divided lamellae. Colour pattern fawn with strongly contrasting paler and darker spots which tend to be disposed in transverse series. The mean snout - vent length of 9 specimens considered to be adult is 56 mm [from MITCHELL 1965]. |
| Comment | Group: Member of the G. variegata-punctata species complex. Note that Doughty et al. 2018 split up G. punctata into many species distributed across the Pilbara region. Synonymy: Zietz (1920) synonymised punctata with variegata, only for this to be reversed by Loveridge (1934), who retained punctata as a subspecies of G. variegata. The taxon is apparently a composite of several chromosomally distinct species. Gehyra fenestra MITCHELL 1965 has been synonymized with G. punctata by Storr 1982, 1990, an opinion maintained by Horner 2005. Gehyra punctata is listed as a synonym of G. variegata by WERMUTH (1965: 36) following CHRAPLIWY et al. 1961. Storr (1982) synonymised G. fenestra with G. punctata based on an overlap of characters. Distribution: see map in Doughty et al. 2018: 7 (Fig. 2). |
| Etymology | Punctata means ‘small spots’. Fry would have been using this name in reference to the spotted pattern in G. punctata as opposed to the network of irregular lines in G. variegata and other arboreal species. |
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