Search AROD:
AROD > Reptiles / Squamata / Gekkonidae / Saltuarius

Leaf-tailed geckos
Saltuarius - Couper, Covacevich and Moritz, 1993

Pronunciation: SALT-you-ARE-ee-uss
 Etymology: "From the Latin - 'keeper of the forest'."1

Taxonomic notes:

Notes:
Statistics: Reproductive modes:
Oviparous - 7 out of 7 Australian species

Size range:
Smallest Australian species: Moritz's leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius moritzi) at 8.55 cm
 Longest Australian species: northern leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius cornutus) at 14.4 cm
Number of Australian species: 7
 

northern leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius cornutus)
Malanda Falls Conservation Park, Queensland
Photo © Stewart Macdonald
northern leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius cornutus) distribution range map Saltuarius cornutus
Northern leaf-tailed gecko
Year described
(Ogilby 1892)
Description

Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius eximius)
Cape Melville, Queensland
Photo © Conrad Hoskin
Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius eximius) distribution range map Saltuarius eximius
Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko
Year described
Hoskin & Couper 2013
Description
Leaf-tailed gecko with "long and slender form, short head and very large eyes"2. The eyes are unpatterned and grey and the tail is "elaborately frilled along the margin with a short, fine attenuated tip.".2

Kate's leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius kateae)
Wyan, New South Wales
Photo © Stewart Macdonald
Kate's leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius kateae) distribution range map Saltuarius kateae
Kate's leaf-tailed gecko
Year described
Couper, Sadlier, Shea & Worthington Wilmer 2008
Description
Obscure, narrow V-shaped marking running back between eyes. Smooth throat scales. Rostral shield usually not in contact with nostril. Moving dorsally from infralabials, scales on sides of snout transition from large to small. Digits lack spiny tubercles on dorsal surface. Dorsal surface of hand lacks large conical tubercles. No preanal pores.

Moritz's leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius moritzi)
Smiths Lake, New South Wales
Photo © Henry Cook
Moritz's leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius moritzi) distribution range map Saltuarius moritzi
Moritz's leaf-tailed gecko
Year described
Couper, Sadlier, Shea & Worthington Wilmer 2008
Description
Smooth throat scales. Rostral shield usually contacts nostril. Moving dorsally from infralabials, scales on sides of snout transition from large to small. No preanal pores. Dorsal surface of toes usually with large spinose tubercles. Enlarged dorsal and lateral tubercles do not extend to tail tip.

rough-throated leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius salebrosus)
Cracow, Queensland
Photo © Stewart Macdonald
rough-throated leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius salebrosus) distribution range map Saltuarius salebrosus
Rough-throated leaf-tailed gecko
Year described
(Covacevich 1975)
Description
Scales on throat are rough.

southern leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius swaini)
Lamington NP
Photo © Stewart Macdonald
southern leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius swaini) distribution range map Saltuarius swaini
Southern leaf-tailed gecko
Year described
(Wells & Wellington 1985)
Description
Smooth throat scales. Rostral shield usually in contract with nostril. Scales on sides of snout are a mix of large and small. No preanal pores.

Wyberba leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius wyberba)
Girraween National Park, Queensland
Photo © David Fischer
Wyberba leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius wyberba) distribution range map Saltuarius wyberba
Wyberba leaf-tailed gecko
Year described
Couper, Schneider & Covacevich 1997
Description
Smooth throat scales. Rostral shield usually contacts nostril. Moving dorsally from infralabials, scales on sides of snout transition from large to small. No preanal pores. Dorsal surfaces of toes usually have large spinose tubercles.

References
  1. Couper, PJ; 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. - search web for this article
  2. Hoskin, Conrad J. & Couper, Patrick (2013). A spectacular new leaf-tailed gecko (Carphodactylidae: Saltuarius) from the Melville Range, north-east Australia. Zootaxa, 3717(4):543-558. - search web for this article
Home
AROD | Reptile Info | About | Contact | In the wild | Reviews