Cyrtodactylus consobrinus
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Peters’s Bent-toed Gecko
Also known as:
Peters’ Slender-toed Gecko, Peters’ Bow-fingered Gecko, Banded Forest Gecko, Thin-banded Forest Gecko, Giant Bent-toed Gecko
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In Peninsular Malaysia, I saw these gorgeous geckos mostly on large boulders, though some were in the root systems of thick trees. As usual, my guide Kurt "Orion" G knew right where to look for them.
My Travelogues and Trip Lists page includes a complete list of the herps I saw in the wild on this trip to Malaysia, as well as a travelogue of the trip.
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Youngsters like this one have higher-contrast patterns than the big adults, making them perhaps even more beautiful.
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On Borneo I saw several more of these geckos, though they were mostly on medium-sized tree trunks rather than large boulders. Could just be due to low sample size, of course.
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Cyrtodactylus species are being discovered/described/split left and right these days. I would not be shocked to find these Borneo populations split into a separate species from the Peninsular Malaysia populations some day. At least in my small-sample-size observations, the Borneo ones had a somewhat lower-contrast pattern and fewer or less prominent tubercles on the back.
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Here's one with particularly narrow crossbars.
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These are really spectacular geckos in person. Their photos don't do them justice.
Online references:
- Cyrtodactylus consobrinus account on The Reptile Database
- Cyrtodactylus consobrinus account on Ecology Asia
Printed references:
- Cox, M. J., van Dijk, P. P., Nabhitabhata, J., Thirakhupt, K. 1998. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
- Das, I. 2010. A Field Guide to the Reptiles of South-east Asia
- Das, I. 2004. Lizards of Borneo
- Grismer, L. L. 2011. Lizards of Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and their Adjacent Archipelagos