Saltuarius swaini
—
Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko
on grounds of O'Reilly's Rainforest Guesthouse, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia—February 20, 2003
After an unsuccessful nighttime leaf-tailed gecko hunt in the rainforest, I was returning to my room at O'Reilly's when I noticed a suspicious dark spot on the side of the building I was walking along. My flashlight revealed this juvenile gecko hunting gecko snacks. Against a tree, this gecko would be very hard to spot, but on the plain-colored wall, it stood out distinctly.
Until recently, this species was known as the southern population of the Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko, Phyllurus cornutum. Thanks to Australian ecologist Mark Sanders for informing me of the recent reclassification.
Here is a complete list of the reptiles and frogs I saw on this trip to Australia.
Printed references:
- Cogger, H. G. 2014. Reptiles & Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition
- Wilson, S. K., Knowles, D. 1988. Australia's Reptiles: A Photographic Reference to the Terrestrial Reptiles of Australia
- Wilson, S. and Swan, G. 2017. A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fifth Edition