Northern leaf-tailed gecko

Northern leaf-tailed gecko
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Scleroglossa
Infraorder: Gekkota
Family: Carphodactylidae
Subfamily: Diplodactylinae
Genus: Saltuarius
Species: S. cornutus
Binomial name
Saltuarius cornutus
(Ogilby 1892)[2]
Synonyms

Gymnodactylus cornutus Ogilby, 1892
Phyllurus cornutus (Ogilby, 1892)

The northern leaf-tailed gecko, Saltuarius cornutus, is a species of the genus Saltuarius, the Australian leaf-tailed geckos.[3]

Description

Saltuarius cornutus is a large gecko with a triangular head, narrow neck, a body length to 14 cm and an 8 cm broad, leaf-like tail. Unlike most geckos, it has clawed toes and no adhesive discs, probably due to its arboreal lifestyle. Body is flattened and limbs are long and spindly; dorsal surface bears sharply pointed tubercles (its eponymous "horns"). Camouflage coloration strongly resembles lichen-mottled bark. Its scientific name translates to "Horned Keeper of the Forest".

Habitat

Nocturnal tree dweller in warm temperate and tropical rainforests and wet sclerophyll forests, typically above 750m, in the Coastal and Great Dividing Ranges in NE Queensland and south to Taree in New South Wales.

Behaviour

Active at night and in cool conditions when most reptiles rest. When threatened, the gecko arches its back, raises and wags its tail from side to side to draw attention away from the head- if attacked it will readily shed its tail and grow another; however the new tail will be broader and flatter with different coloration and a short tip. Also known to open mouth and charge aggressors while vocalizing.
Females lay 1–2 parchment-shelled eggs in a shallow nest covered with leaf litter and soil—up to 14 eggs from multiple females have been found in a single communal nest.[4]

Diet

The Northern leaf-tailed gecko eats large insects and other arthropods, including cockroaches and spiders.

References

  1. ↑ Cogger, H.G. (2010). "Saltuarius cornutus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Couper PC, Covacevich JA, Moritz C. 1993. A review of the leaf-tailed geckos endemic to eastern Australia: a new genus, four new species, and other new data. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 34 (1): 95-124. (Saltuarius, new genus, p. 97).
  3. ↑ Saltuarius cornutus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 26 June 2015.
  4. ↑ Cronin, Leonard. 2001. Phyllurus cornutus . Key Guide to Australian Reptiles and Amphibians
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