Gehyra australis

Gehyra australis, the Australian house gecko, northern dtella or top-end dtella, is a species of gecko native to northern and eastern Australia.[1][2] It is also widespread in Indonesia, alongside common house geckos and four-clawed geckos.

Gehyra australis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Gehyra
Species:
G. australis
Binomial name
Gehyra australis
(Gray, 1845)
Synonyms
  • Hemidactylus australis (Gray, 1845)
  • Phyria punctulata Gray, 1842
  • Platydactylus australis (Gray, 1845)

Gehyra australis is primarily an arboreal gecko inhabiting woodlands and coastal and riverine forests. It can also occur near human dwellings and gardens.[1] It is oviparous.[2]

Systematics

In 2020, as a result of molecular genetic analysis, three new species were proposed for lineages of the Gehyra australis species complex: G. arnhemica (east Arnhem Land), G. gemina (northern deserts), and G. lauta (gulf, NT–Qld border).[3][4] Names for the new species were registered in Zoobank.[5] Under this definition, the range of G. australis sensu stricto is limited to the western Top End region of the Northern Territory, from Darwin surrounds to Port Essington, and Gregory National Park To Eva Valley at the edge of the Arnhem Plateau.

Members of the australis species complex are generally arboreal, and tend to be smaller than the rock-dwelling (saxicolous) koira group, though G. lauta is larger-bodied. G. chimera is adapted to an arboreal lifestyle: it had previously been classified in G. australis, but genetically clusters with G. koira. Adult males of G. australis sensu stricto have 10–14 pre-cloacal pores, whereas G. arnhemica and G. lauta have 21-26 and 22–32 respectively. The various new species also differ in details of their scale patterns, particularly on the chin.[4]

Along with the G. australis and G. koira species complexes, the related species Gehyra borroloola, Gehyra robusta, and Gehyra pamela form a clade that is referred to as the "Gehyra australis group".[4]

Nomenclature

Gray's original 1845 description of G. australis was based on two specimens in the Natural History Museum of the UK. In 1983, Cogger, Cameron, and Cogger designated the Port Essington (NT) specimen as a lectotype and the Swan River (WA) specimen as a paralectotype. The location and pore count of the lectotype are consistent with the "australis 2" clade, which as a result is identified with the name Gehyra australis Gray, 1845.[4]

See also
  • Dubious dtella, native Australian house gecko, or dubious four-clawed gecko (Gehyra dubia)

References
  1. Hutchinson, M. (2010). "Gehyra australis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T178232A7503279. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T178232A7503279.en.
  2. Gehyra australis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 August 2016.
  3. Maguire, Kemii (10 March 2020). "Australia has six 'new' species of native gecko". ABC News. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  4. Oliver, Paul M.; Prasetya, Audrey Miranda; Tedeschi, Leonardo G.; Fenker, Jessica; Ellis, Ryan J.; Doughty, Paul; Moritz, Craig (27 January 2020). "Crypsis and convergence: integrative taxonomic revision of the Gehyra australis group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from northern Australia". PeerJ. 8: e7971. doi:10.7717/peerj.7971. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 6991128. PMID 32025362. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  5. Publication ID urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9EA86EF0-DB81-40ED-9DB9-58DBEF9B59D6


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