Australian leaf-tailed geckos: phylogeny, a new genus, two new species and other new data

Couper, P.J.;Schneider, C.J.;Hoskin, C.J.;Covacevich, J.A.

Abstract

[Extract] Australia's rainforests and adjoining moist sclerophyll forests and heaths are well known for their high diversity and for many species confined to either single localities, or very narrow ranges. Leaf-tailed geckos from such forests well illustrate these characteristics. For nearly 200 years of discovery and description of Australia's reptiles, only two species of 'leaf-tails', Phyllurus platurus (Shaw, 1790) and P. cornutus (Ogilby, 1892) = Saltuarius cornutus (Ogilby, 1892), were known. Morphological studies since 1975 have resulted in the recognition of many new species and the genus Saltuarius Couper, Covacevich & Moritz, 1993 - P. caudiannulatus Covacevich, 1975; P. isis Couper, Covacevich & Moritz, 1993; P. nepthys Couper, Covacevich & Moritz, 1993; P. ossa Couper, Covacevich & Moritz, 1993; S. salebrosus (Covacevich, 1975); Saltuarius occultus Couper, Covacevich &Moritz, 1993 and S. swaini (Wells & Wellington, 1985). Eight of the 12 presently known species have narrow distributions with four confined to single localities.

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Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature

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Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature

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0079-8835

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Queensland Museum

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