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
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.
Youngsters like this one have higher-contrast patterns than the big adults, making them perhaps even more beautiful.
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.
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.
Here's one with particularly narrow crossbars.
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