Cyrtodactylus, Gray, 1827

Kaiser, Hinrich, Carvalho, Venancio Lopes, Ceballos, Jester, Freed, Paul, Heacox, Scott, Lester, Barbara, Richards, Stephen J., Trainor, Colin R., Sanchez, Caitlin & O'Shea, Mark, 2011, The herpetofauna of Timor-Leste: a first report, ZooKeys 109, pp. 19-86 : 33

Genus Cyrtodactylus Fig. 9

Common name.

(E) Timor Bent-toed Gecko. *(T) Teki ain-fuan kleuk (teki = small gecko, kleuk = bent, ain-fuan = toe).

Identification.

This candidate species of Cyrtodactylus , designated as Cyrtodactylus sp. 1 [Ca CMD 383], lacks the characteristic orange banding pattern of the tokay gecko ( Gekko gecko ) and has dorsal patterning with a greater amount of brown components (spots, flecks, lines) than any other gecko found on Timor. In its size, it is intermediate between the common house geckos ( Hemidactylus frenatus , Gehyra mutilata ) and the tokay gecko, and it does not have a flattened tail or dorsolateral skin flaps as in Hemidactylus platyurus . It is also the only gecko to possess non-dilated digits, unlike those found in typical geckos. Instead the toes are slender and curved ( Fig. 9 ), resulting in various names being inconsistently applied to members of the genus (e.g., bent-toed geckos, naked-toed geckos, bow-fingered geckos). The genus Cyrtodactylus is the most diverse genus within the seven families comprising the Gekkota, with at least 130 species described.

Collection and natural history.

Two specimens of what is clearly an undescribed species of Cyrtodactylus were captured on the same night at the Trilolo River near Same, Manufahi District (altitude 553 m). There are substantial differences in pholidosis and overall morphology from all known species of Cyrtodactylus (see Rösler and Glaw 2008: Table 1 ). One individual was found on a boulder-face along the riverbank, while the second was in leaf litter at the foot of a large boulder at the boundary between riverine habitat and coffee plantation.

Figures

Figure 9. Undescribed species of Cyrtodactylus. Female from near Same, Manufahi District (USNM [CMD 383], SVL 58 mm, TL 127 mm). Photo by Hinrich Kaiser.