Diplodactylus savagei Kluge, 1963

Doughty, Paul, Pepper, Mitzy & Keogh, Scott, 2010, Morphological and molecular assessment of the Diplodactylus savagei species complex in the Pilbara region, Western Australia, with a description of a new species, Zootaxa 2393, pp. 33-45 : 38

Diplodactylus savagei Kluge, 1963

Southern Pilbara Beak-faced Gecko ( Figs. 2 , 3 )

Holotype. R14369, an adult female collected at Marble Bar, Western Australia, Australia on 22 September 1960 by G.M. Storr.

Paratypes. None.

Diagnosis. Differentiated from D. galaxias sp. nov. in having slightly larger body size, more gabled dorsal scales, slightly shorter and wider tail, heavy yellowish spots that form transverse rows (not scattered fine spots) on darker reddish-brown background colour, pale dorsal border to dark loreal stripe rarely present and dorsal-ventral colouration transition abrupt or marked by spots or stippling (not gradual).

Description. Small-bodied Diplodactylus with cylindrical body shape and a small, depressed head; tail cylindrical, slightly increasing in width towards tip until about four-fifths of length, then tapering at roughly a 60° angle to tip. Eyes small with no spiny ridges on upper eyelid; snout relatively long and pointed with blunt tip. Scales contacting nostril: supranasal and 4–6 postnasals; rostral roughly hexagonal without crease, bordered by enlarged supralabials, supranasals and internarials; other than first, enlarged supralabials absent with scales along upper jaw similar in size to adjoining rows of scales; mental wider than long with adjacent enlarged gular scales in 2–3 rows; no enlarged infralabials scales with typical-sized scales along lower jaw; ear aperature small and located near retroarticular process.

Limbs slender and of moderate length; undersurfaces of digits terminating with claw between moderately enlarged apical plates and 6–10 rows of enlarged paired lamellae along length of digit until decreasing to the size of tubercles on palmar and plantar surfaces.

Scales on body small; dorsal and ventral scales approximately the same size. Dorsal scales slightly gabled, with the apex towards the posterior edge of scale. Caudal scales on original tail enlarged and flattened, tending to form transverse rows; scattered enlarged scales on tail tip.

Colouration. In life, dorsum a rich reddish brown with small (1–5 scales) yellowish spots that usually align and/or abut to clearly form 8–12 transverse rows between nape and base of tail; spots rarely extending onto limbs but, if present, also tending to form rows; dark loreal-temporal streak through eye, weakly connecting nape; dorsal border loreal streak rarely with pale edge; top of head slightly pale compared to rest of dorsal colouration. Transition from dorsal to ventral colouration abrupt: demarcated by a sharp transition or stippling. Ventral surfaces pale cream. In preservative, ground colour faded, pale cap on head more prominent and spots creamy white (almost no trace of yellow colour).

Measurements. See Table 1 .

Variation. Males possess an average of 7 enlarged pointed cloacal spurs on either side of cloaca. Females attain larger body sizes and trunk lengths than males ( Table 1 ). Ground colour shows some limited variation in hue, but the pattern of spotting is more variable, and even more variable than in D. galaxias sp. nov. In some individuals the spots align to form solid transverse bars across the dorsum, although the individual spots comprising the bars are still evident (e.g., R162852, R 170211, R 170196, R 170275; Fig. 3 ). The size of the spots also varied, from very small (<5; e.g., R158144) to large (~10 scales; e.g., R 170127). R 160112 had an unusual pattern of strong transverse rows that alternated with a weak transverse row of spots ( Fig. 3 ).

Habitat. Collection records of D. savagei indicate an association with stony hills with spinifex, scree slopes, Eucalyptus and Acacia spp, but also occasionally recorded from termitaria, cracking clays and loamy plains.

Distribution. Pilbara and Ashburton regions ( Fig. 1 ): eastern Pilbara from Wodgina to the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, then extending south and west along the Hamersley Range, not occurring north of the Fortescue Marsh. Two widely-separated southeastern locality records are from the Barlee Ranges and Waldburg Station; however, the intervening area is poorly surveyed and the species may be common there.

Etymology. Named after American herpetologist Jay M. Savage.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Diplodactylus savagei populations in the Pilbara and Ashburton regions of Western Australia. Key: blue circles— D. savagei; red circles— D. galaxias sp. nov.; stars—genotyped individuals.

FIGURE 2. Photographs of live Diplodactylus galaxias sp. nov. (above) from the Burrup Peninsula and D. savagei (below) from near the type locality. Photographs – B. Maryan.

FIGURE 3. Variation of dorsal pattern within Diplodactylus galaxias sp. nov. (top row) and D. savagei (bottom row).