Phyllodactylus Gray

The genus Phyllodactylus was formerly included in a diverse group of leaf-toed geckos occurring all-over the world. Currently and on the basis of morphological and allozyme phylogenetic analyses, several lineages of Old World leaf-toed geckos are proposed as distinct genera, such as Afrogecko (southern Africa), Christinus (Australia), Cryptactites (southern Africa), Goggia (southern Africa), Dixonius (southeast Asia), Euleptes (Mediterranean), Haemodracon (Sokotra), and Matoatoa (Madagascar) (Bauer et al. 1997; Gamble et al. 2008). The species within the genus Phyllodactylus sensu stricto are now constrained to the New World. Nonetheless, although there are more than 50 species in the genus, molecular genetic and karyological data are very scant, with rDNA 16S sequences reported in less than ten species (Weiss & Hedges 2007; Blair et al. 2009).