moloch05
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Warning ... this is a big post with a huge number of photos. It takes about 3 minutes to fully load with my dsl broadband connection
As most of you know, Australia is a rich with herps. I doubt that there is any place where one could live here and not have a few species of reptiles in one's yard. I imagine that most people think of some of the spectacularly venomous elapids when they think of Australian reptiles but to me, it is the lizards that make Australia so unique. Diversity of the lizards in Australia is absolutely staggering and new species are found or described every year. The current list stands at roughly:
125 Geckos
41 Pygopods (basically, legless geckos)
424 Skinks
70 Dragons
27 Monitors
Since finding FieldHerpForum a few years ago, I have shifted from birding back to herping and now arrange my holidays to visit areas with reptiles that I have not yet seen. So far, I have traveled to many places in Queensland (QLD), New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (VIC, well, a little), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS) and Western Australia (WA). I have not yet visited the rich areas of the Northern Territory mainly due to the ridiculously expensive car-hire costs in that state.
In the last 3.5 years, I have been able to photograph about a third of the species of lizards. I decided to put together a set of posts to show these. Australian lizards are often poorly known and sometimes vary quite significantly in appearance from one locality to another ... or even at the same locality. Where possible, I have included a number of photos to demonstrate this variability.
Australian lizards, especially the skinks, are often hard to identify in the field so I no doubt have a few errors in my identifications. If you recognize an error, I would appreciate hearing about this along with the field characters that you used to make the correct identification.
This first of several posts will include the geckos, the second most diverse family of Aussie reptiles, the geckos, along with their close relatives, the Pygopods. These lizards are common in the dry, inland areas of the continent. They are found in all states except for Tasmania.
Note: when I reference photos, the sequence that I use will be the following:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
Marbled Gecko (Christinus marmoratus) -- a common gecko in the cool, southern portion of Australia. When I lived in Melbourne (southern Victoria), I often saw them in my garden shed even in the winter. The following gecko was photographed a little north of Perth, WA.
Ring-tailed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus tuberculatus) -- these are big, impressive geckos that that live in a small area of the tropics in far north Queensland (FNQ). They are fast, alert lizards that climb well. One that I observed at Chillagoe NP jumped from branch to branch in a shrub when it spotted me and then leapt down to the rocks and raced into a crevice. Others were seen briefly on boulders before running into cover. This was a difficult species to approach and photograph.
Cape Gecko (Diplodactylus capensis) -- This species was described last year. It is a species with a tiny distribution near Exmouth, WA. Formerly, it was considered to be an outlier of D. mitchelli but genetic studies demonstrated that it was more closely related to southern geckos such as D. granariensis. I saw a number of these geckos on both of my two trips to the Cape Range area near Exmouth. The geckos that I saw were sexually dimorphic with drab females and nicely marked males.
Fat-tailed Geckos (Diplodactylus conspicillatus) -- A well named gecko that is abundant in WA. I have only seen a few in the eastern deserts. Photos 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8 are from the Windorah, QLD area. Geckos 2, 3 and 6 are from the goldfields region of WA. Gecko 9 is typical of those from Exmouth, WA. The western examples of D. conspicillatus all had prominent stripes from the nostril to above the eyes. Eastern representatives seem to lack this feature. These geckos shelter in spider holes and use their thick tails to form a plug in the hole. They are termite specialists.
Western Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus granariensis) -- I have only seen a few of these geckos. Geckos 1-6 are from Kalbarri NP, WA, and geckos 7-9 are from the Stirling Ranges.
Ornate Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus ornatus) -- I have only seen a few of what I think to be this species of gecko. All were from the Shark Bay area of WA. Gecko 1-2 is a female and gecko 3 is a male.
Speckled Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus polyophthalmus) -- I have to thank Jordan (urodacus_au) for this gecko. It was from the hills near Perth, WA.
There are two very similar geckos found in the Shark Bay area of WA. The field guide mentions that the position of the rostral scale relative to the nostril is important for separating the two. I have never noticed a difference, but I do think that the head shape might be a more useful field character. The gecko on the left is Diplodactylus pulcher from Kalbarri. Notice that it has a fairly thick and blunt snout. The gecko on the right has a more finely-pointed snout and I believe that it is Diplodactylus klugei. Both are thought to be termite specialists.
Kluge's Gecko (Diplodactylus klugei) -- a fairly recently described species (1998) that has a tiny distribution cantered around Shark Bay, WA. All of the following were observed near Monkey Mia on the central peninsula into Shark Bay. They all have the finely pointed snouts and I think that all are Kluge's Geckos. Notice the extreme variability in patterns. Geckos with striped backs were the most common but some had saddles.
Beautiful or Fine-faced Gecko (Diplodactylus pulcher) -- this is a fairly common species in some areas. Like D. klugei, it varied greatly in pattern with some animals showing saddles and others stripes on their backs. Geckos 1-5 were from Kalbarri and 6-9 were from the goldfields region of central WA.
Diplodactylus klugei or pulcher -- these geckos were found near Hamelin Pool at the southern end of Shark Bay. Both klugei and pulcher might be expected from this area. I am not certain of the identities. Again, the geckos exhibited extreme variation in pattern and colouration.
Tessallated Gecko (Diplodactylus tessallutus) -- this is a common gecko in the harsh, barren areas of western NSW, QLD and SA. They are fairly consistent in pattern.
Eastern Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus vittatus) -- a common gecko in dry eucalyptus forest in eastern Australia. This is a variable species. Some have a zigzag dorsal stripe while others have straight-edged stripes. When this gecko is startled, it will crouch into the leaf litter where its disruptive colours blend well (photos 3 & 5).
Dubious Dtella (Gehyra dubia) -- an abundant "house" gecko in tropical/sub-tropical eastern Australia.
Tree Dtella (Gehyra variegata) -- a widespread and common gecko. As its name implies, it is often arboreal and found on trees as well as houses.
Bynoe's or Prickly Gecko (Heteronotia binoei) -- a widespread species that is found over much of the Australian continent. Apparently, it consists of a species complex. Some populations are parthenogenic. Geckos 1, 2 and 8 are from Shark Bay, WA, gecko 3 is from the Warrumbungles, NSW. Gecko 4 and 5 is from Fowler's Gap, NSW. Gecko 6 is from Gundabooka, NSW. Gecko 7 is from Exmouth, WA and Gecko 9 is the most unusually marked and from Brewarrina, NSW.
Desert Cave Gecko (Heteronotia spelea) -- this species has a small range in north western WA. The following gecko was photographed while on a night walk through a gorge at Karijini NP in the Pilbara.
White-spotted Ground Gecko (Lucasium alboguttatum) -- these are beautiful geckos from the west coast of WA. Gecko 3 was from Kalbarri NP and all of the others were from Shark Bay, WA.
Gibber Gecko (Lucasium byrnei) -- this pretty gecko inhabits some harsh country where there are few plants. I have only found them in one area in northwestern NSW. In this area, however, it is the abundant species of reptile with large numbers on the road at night. I included a range of patterns with gecko 6 being particularly unmarked while gecko 9 was dark and strongly marked.
Beaded Gecko (Lucasium damaeum) -- I have only encountered this single gecko near the western edge of its distribution in SA. From what I have read, it is a more common species in the southern mallee (shrubby eucalyptus woodland)/spinifex habitats, areas that I rarely have visited.
Pale-striped Ground Gecko (Lucasium immaculatum) -- I have only seen this single lizard west of Windorah, QLD. It was found on a gibber (small stones) flat where there were few plants.
Mottled Ground Gecko (Lucasium squarrosum) -- the gecko in photos 1-3 is definitely this species and was found near Hamelin Pool, WA. Geckos 4-6 now have me a little confused. Their head pattern matched that of the lizard from Hamelin Pool but I have seen photos of odd L. stenodactylum that look a little like this. I will leave my identifications as tentatively L. squarrosum for the geckos in photos 4-6.
Box-patterned Gecko (Lucasium steindachneri) -- these are very nicely marked geckos with a big range from outback NSW up through the dry portions of the Cape York Peninsula, QLD. Gecko 1 was from the brigalow habitat of south-central QLD, gecko 2 was from Chillagoe area (Cape York) of QLD, gecko 3 was from Mutawintji NP, NSW and the remainder were from northwestern NSW.
Sandplains Gecko (Lucasium stenodactylum) -- an abundant gecko in central, coastal WA. Photo 6 was from Sandfire but all of the others were from the Exmouth area. This was a variable species. Most showed a "Y" pattern on the back of the neck to the dorsal stripe.
Pilbara Ground Gecko (Lucasium wombeyi) -- I was originally convinced that these geckos from the Karijini area of the Pilbara, WA, were this species. Once again, I have seen photos of oddly marked L. stenodactylum that now make me wonder about my original identification. For now, I will tentatively record them as L. wombeyi.
Nactus cheverti -- this species was fairly common at Mission Beach and at Chillagoe NP, QLD. It has a small range in the tropics of FNQ.
Black Mountain Gecko (Nactus galgajuga) -- this gecko has a tiny range and is only found on the boulders of Black Mountain NP near Cooktown, QLD. It was common on the rocks at night. These geckos have big eyes and seem to be alert and wary. I also saw the large Ring-tailed Geckos on the same rocks and these are one of the predators of the Black Mountain Geckos.
Smooth Knob-tailed Geckos (Nephrurus laevis) -- I think that these are one of the most beautiful of the Australian geckos. They are big and certainly photogenic. Those from Shark Bay are especially bright and beautiful. Geckos 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9 are from Shark Bay, WA. Geckos 5 & 6 are from Windorah, QLD. Geckos 7 & 8 are from Kalbarri NP, WA.
Northern Velvet Gecko (Oedura castelnaui) -- I have only seen two of these pretty geckos. Both were near Cooktown in FNQ.
Lesueur's Velvet Gecko (Oedura lesueurii) -- this species is common in rocky areas near Sydney and also in southern Queensland. By day, the geckos appear dark but at night, their colour is light and closely matches that of the rocks where they live.
Marbled Velvet Gecko (Oedura marmorata) -- geckos 1-3 were from the Windorah area (QLD). Geckos 4-6 were a couple of examples of the more brightly coloured western race from central WA.
Ocellated Velvet Gecko (Oedura monilis) -- these are one of my favourite geckos with their soft, pastel colours. I think that those from the Warrumbungle area of NSW are particularly nice. Geckos 1-6 were from the Warrumbungles, gecko 7-8 from Eungella NP in central QLD and gecko 9 was an oddly marked animal from the rainforest near Airlie Beach, central QLD.
Robust Velvet Gecko (Oedura robusta) -- gecko 1-3 was from the Tamworth area at the southern end of the New England Highlands of NSW. The others were from eucalyptus woodland near Brisbane, QLD.
Southern Spotted Velvet Gecko (Oedura tryoni) -- one of the most nicely marked Oedura geckos. Some, like geckos 1-5, inhabit granite boulders whereas others live on trees or houses in coastal QLD (geckos 6-9). Gecko 3 was a juvenile.
Broad-tailed or Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Phyllurus platurus) -- a common species on sandstone outcrops around Sydney, NSW. All of the following were from the Wollongong area.
Beaked Gecko (Rhynchoedura ornata) -- a widespread gecko that is common in eastern deserts. So far, I have only seen one in WA. These geckos are termite specialists.
Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuaris coronutus) -- these amazing geckos are common on the Atherton Tablelands of FNQ. I have found a number while on night walks through the rainforest.
Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuarius swaini) -- This species is common in montane rainforests of southeastern QLD. I think that the juvenile, gecko 1, is probably the most elegant of all the leaf-tails that I have ever encountered.
Wyberba Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuaris wyberba) -- tiny distribution in the granite belt of southern QLD. I have seen them on the road at night but they are more easily seen by walking at night around granite outcrops and scanning for the lizards.
Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus ciliaris) -- I think that all of the following are S. ciliaris. Geckos 1 & 5 are from Mutawintji, NSW. Gecko 2-3 was from Windorah, QLD. Gecko 4, 6, 7 and 8 were from Exmouth, WA. Gecko 9 was from Fowler's Gap, NSW.
Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) -- lovely geckos that are widespread in the dry areas but hard to find. They are spinifex specialists that are probably common but hard to spot in the spiny clumps of grass.
Southern Phasmid Gecko (Strophurus jaenae) -- this tiny gecko was found on the road near Sandfire (Great Sandy Desert), WA. It is a spinifex specialist.
Strophurus krisalys -- this species was found while night-walking on red dunes near Windorah, QLD.
Smooth Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus spinigerus) -- this gecko is abundant in the southwestern portion of WA. I saw huge numbers on the road at night north of Perth.
Western Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus strophurus) -- another common spiny-tailed gecko in WA. It was common north and east of the range of S. spinigerus.
Golden-tailed Gecko (Strophurus taenicauda) -- this beautiful Strophurus is confined to brigalow habitats in southern Queensland. I have only seen this single animal.
Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus williamsi) -- an abundant species in the mid-western highlands of NSW north into QLD.
Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) -- widespread gecko that is common in some areas. Geckos 1-6 were from the Warrumbungle area. Geckos 7-8 were from Mutawintji, NSW, and gecko 9 was from the Cue area of WA.
Granite belt Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus) -- This is the only individual of this species that I have seen despite multiple searches. It seems to be a difficult species to locate. Its colouration is a close match to the granite boulders where it lives. It is restricted the granite belt of southern QLD and northeastern NSW.
Fraser's Delma (Delma fraseri) -- from Perth, WA.
Side-barred Delma (Delma grayii) -- from Perth, WA.
Patternless Delma (Delma inornata) -- one from the Warrumbungle area, NSW.
Sharp-snouted Delma (Delma nasuata) -- one from the Exmouth area, WA.
Burton's Snake Lizard (Lialis burtonis) -- found over most of Australia. Highly variable in pattern, even in a single area.
Keeled Legless Lizard (Pletholax gracilis) -- near Perth, WA.
Common Scaly-foot (Pygopus lepidopodus) -- a widespread species. Photo 1 was from near Wollongong, NSW, and photo 2 was from Perth, WA. Photo 3 was a DOR striped phase animal from north of Perth.
Western Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigreceps) -- a beautiful scaly foolt that is common from the Shark Bay area and north. These photos are all from the Shark Bay portion of its range.
Eastern Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus schraderi) -- seems to be much harder to find than Western Hooded Scaly-foots. This was the only representative of the species that I have encountered.
As most of you know, Australia is a rich with herps. I doubt that there is any place where one could live here and not have a few species of reptiles in one's yard. I imagine that most people think of some of the spectacularly venomous elapids when they think of Australian reptiles but to me, it is the lizards that make Australia so unique. Diversity of the lizards in Australia is absolutely staggering and new species are found or described every year. The current list stands at roughly:
125 Geckos
41 Pygopods (basically, legless geckos)
424 Skinks
70 Dragons
27 Monitors
Since finding FieldHerpForum a few years ago, I have shifted from birding back to herping and now arrange my holidays to visit areas with reptiles that I have not yet seen. So far, I have traveled to many places in Queensland (QLD), New South Wales (NSW), Victoria (VIC, well, a little), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS) and Western Australia (WA). I have not yet visited the rich areas of the Northern Territory mainly due to the ridiculously expensive car-hire costs in that state.
In the last 3.5 years, I have been able to photograph about a third of the species of lizards. I decided to put together a set of posts to show these. Australian lizards are often poorly known and sometimes vary quite significantly in appearance from one locality to another ... or even at the same locality. Where possible, I have included a number of photos to demonstrate this variability.
Australian lizards, especially the skinks, are often hard to identify in the field so I no doubt have a few errors in my identifications. If you recognize an error, I would appreciate hearing about this along with the field characters that you used to make the correct identification.
This first of several posts will include the geckos, the second most diverse family of Aussie reptiles, the geckos, along with their close relatives, the Pygopods. These lizards are common in the dry, inland areas of the continent. They are found in all states except for Tasmania.
Note: when I reference photos, the sequence that I use will be the following:
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
Marbled Gecko (Christinus marmoratus) -- a common gecko in the cool, southern portion of Australia. When I lived in Melbourne (southern Victoria), I often saw them in my garden shed even in the winter. The following gecko was photographed a little north of Perth, WA.
Ring-tailed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus tuberculatus) -- these are big, impressive geckos that that live in a small area of the tropics in far north Queensland (FNQ). They are fast, alert lizards that climb well. One that I observed at Chillagoe NP jumped from branch to branch in a shrub when it spotted me and then leapt down to the rocks and raced into a crevice. Others were seen briefly on boulders before running into cover. This was a difficult species to approach and photograph.
Cape Gecko (Diplodactylus capensis) -- This species was described last year. It is a species with a tiny distribution near Exmouth, WA. Formerly, it was considered to be an outlier of D. mitchelli but genetic studies demonstrated that it was more closely related to southern geckos such as D. granariensis. I saw a number of these geckos on both of my two trips to the Cape Range area near Exmouth. The geckos that I saw were sexually dimorphic with drab females and nicely marked males.
Fat-tailed Geckos (Diplodactylus conspicillatus) -- A well named gecko that is abundant in WA. I have only seen a few in the eastern deserts. Photos 1, 4, 5, 7 and 8 are from the Windorah, QLD area. Geckos 2, 3 and 6 are from the goldfields region of WA. Gecko 9 is typical of those from Exmouth, WA. The western examples of D. conspicillatus all had prominent stripes from the nostril to above the eyes. Eastern representatives seem to lack this feature. These geckos shelter in spider holes and use their thick tails to form a plug in the hole. They are termite specialists.
Western Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus granariensis) -- I have only seen a few of these geckos. Geckos 1-6 are from Kalbarri NP, WA, and geckos 7-9 are from the Stirling Ranges.
Ornate Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus ornatus) -- I have only seen a few of what I think to be this species of gecko. All were from the Shark Bay area of WA. Gecko 1-2 is a female and gecko 3 is a male.
Speckled Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus polyophthalmus) -- I have to thank Jordan (urodacus_au) for this gecko. It was from the hills near Perth, WA.
There are two very similar geckos found in the Shark Bay area of WA. The field guide mentions that the position of the rostral scale relative to the nostril is important for separating the two. I have never noticed a difference, but I do think that the head shape might be a more useful field character. The gecko on the left is Diplodactylus pulcher from Kalbarri. Notice that it has a fairly thick and blunt snout. The gecko on the right has a more finely-pointed snout and I believe that it is Diplodactylus klugei. Both are thought to be termite specialists.
Kluge's Gecko (Diplodactylus klugei) -- a fairly recently described species (1998) that has a tiny distribution cantered around Shark Bay, WA. All of the following were observed near Monkey Mia on the central peninsula into Shark Bay. They all have the finely pointed snouts and I think that all are Kluge's Geckos. Notice the extreme variability in patterns. Geckos with striped backs were the most common but some had saddles.
Beautiful or Fine-faced Gecko (Diplodactylus pulcher) -- this is a fairly common species in some areas. Like D. klugei, it varied greatly in pattern with some animals showing saddles and others stripes on their backs. Geckos 1-5 were from Kalbarri and 6-9 were from the goldfields region of central WA.
Diplodactylus klugei or pulcher -- these geckos were found near Hamelin Pool at the southern end of Shark Bay. Both klugei and pulcher might be expected from this area. I am not certain of the identities. Again, the geckos exhibited extreme variation in pattern and colouration.
Tessallated Gecko (Diplodactylus tessallutus) -- this is a common gecko in the harsh, barren areas of western NSW, QLD and SA. They are fairly consistent in pattern.
Eastern Stone Gecko (Diplodactylus vittatus) -- a common gecko in dry eucalyptus forest in eastern Australia. This is a variable species. Some have a zigzag dorsal stripe while others have straight-edged stripes. When this gecko is startled, it will crouch into the leaf litter where its disruptive colours blend well (photos 3 & 5).
Dubious Dtella (Gehyra dubia) -- an abundant "house" gecko in tropical/sub-tropical eastern Australia.
Tree Dtella (Gehyra variegata) -- a widespread and common gecko. As its name implies, it is often arboreal and found on trees as well as houses.
Bynoe's or Prickly Gecko (Heteronotia binoei) -- a widespread species that is found over much of the Australian continent. Apparently, it consists of a species complex. Some populations are parthenogenic. Geckos 1, 2 and 8 are from Shark Bay, WA, gecko 3 is from the Warrumbungles, NSW. Gecko 4 and 5 is from Fowler's Gap, NSW. Gecko 6 is from Gundabooka, NSW. Gecko 7 is from Exmouth, WA and Gecko 9 is the most unusually marked and from Brewarrina, NSW.
Desert Cave Gecko (Heteronotia spelea) -- this species has a small range in north western WA. The following gecko was photographed while on a night walk through a gorge at Karijini NP in the Pilbara.
White-spotted Ground Gecko (Lucasium alboguttatum) -- these are beautiful geckos from the west coast of WA. Gecko 3 was from Kalbarri NP and all of the others were from Shark Bay, WA.
Gibber Gecko (Lucasium byrnei) -- this pretty gecko inhabits some harsh country where there are few plants. I have only found them in one area in northwestern NSW. In this area, however, it is the abundant species of reptile with large numbers on the road at night. I included a range of patterns with gecko 6 being particularly unmarked while gecko 9 was dark and strongly marked.
Beaded Gecko (Lucasium damaeum) -- I have only encountered this single gecko near the western edge of its distribution in SA. From what I have read, it is a more common species in the southern mallee (shrubby eucalyptus woodland)/spinifex habitats, areas that I rarely have visited.
Pale-striped Ground Gecko (Lucasium immaculatum) -- I have only seen this single lizard west of Windorah, QLD. It was found on a gibber (small stones) flat where there were few plants.
Mottled Ground Gecko (Lucasium squarrosum) -- the gecko in photos 1-3 is definitely this species and was found near Hamelin Pool, WA. Geckos 4-6 now have me a little confused. Their head pattern matched that of the lizard from Hamelin Pool but I have seen photos of odd L. stenodactylum that look a little like this. I will leave my identifications as tentatively L. squarrosum for the geckos in photos 4-6.
Box-patterned Gecko (Lucasium steindachneri) -- these are very nicely marked geckos with a big range from outback NSW up through the dry portions of the Cape York Peninsula, QLD. Gecko 1 was from the brigalow habitat of south-central QLD, gecko 2 was from Chillagoe area (Cape York) of QLD, gecko 3 was from Mutawintji NP, NSW and the remainder were from northwestern NSW.
Sandplains Gecko (Lucasium stenodactylum) -- an abundant gecko in central, coastal WA. Photo 6 was from Sandfire but all of the others were from the Exmouth area. This was a variable species. Most showed a "Y" pattern on the back of the neck to the dorsal stripe.
Pilbara Ground Gecko (Lucasium wombeyi) -- I was originally convinced that these geckos from the Karijini area of the Pilbara, WA, were this species. Once again, I have seen photos of oddly marked L. stenodactylum that now make me wonder about my original identification. For now, I will tentatively record them as L. wombeyi.
Nactus cheverti -- this species was fairly common at Mission Beach and at Chillagoe NP, QLD. It has a small range in the tropics of FNQ.
Black Mountain Gecko (Nactus galgajuga) -- this gecko has a tiny range and is only found on the boulders of Black Mountain NP near Cooktown, QLD. It was common on the rocks at night. These geckos have big eyes and seem to be alert and wary. I also saw the large Ring-tailed Geckos on the same rocks and these are one of the predators of the Black Mountain Geckos.
Smooth Knob-tailed Geckos (Nephrurus laevis) -- I think that these are one of the most beautiful of the Australian geckos. They are big and certainly photogenic. Those from Shark Bay are especially bright and beautiful. Geckos 1, 2, 3, 4 and 9 are from Shark Bay, WA. Geckos 5 & 6 are from Windorah, QLD. Geckos 7 & 8 are from Kalbarri NP, WA.
Northern Velvet Gecko (Oedura castelnaui) -- I have only seen two of these pretty geckos. Both were near Cooktown in FNQ.
Lesueur's Velvet Gecko (Oedura lesueurii) -- this species is common in rocky areas near Sydney and also in southern Queensland. By day, the geckos appear dark but at night, their colour is light and closely matches that of the rocks where they live.
Marbled Velvet Gecko (Oedura marmorata) -- geckos 1-3 were from the Windorah area (QLD). Geckos 4-6 were a couple of examples of the more brightly coloured western race from central WA.
Ocellated Velvet Gecko (Oedura monilis) -- these are one of my favourite geckos with their soft, pastel colours. I think that those from the Warrumbungle area of NSW are particularly nice. Geckos 1-6 were from the Warrumbungles, gecko 7-8 from Eungella NP in central QLD and gecko 9 was an oddly marked animal from the rainforest near Airlie Beach, central QLD.
Robust Velvet Gecko (Oedura robusta) -- gecko 1-3 was from the Tamworth area at the southern end of the New England Highlands of NSW. The others were from eucalyptus woodland near Brisbane, QLD.
Southern Spotted Velvet Gecko (Oedura tryoni) -- one of the most nicely marked Oedura geckos. Some, like geckos 1-5, inhabit granite boulders whereas others live on trees or houses in coastal QLD (geckos 6-9). Gecko 3 was a juvenile.
Broad-tailed or Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Phyllurus platurus) -- a common species on sandstone outcrops around Sydney, NSW. All of the following were from the Wollongong area.
Beaked Gecko (Rhynchoedura ornata) -- a widespread gecko that is common in eastern deserts. So far, I have only seen one in WA. These geckos are termite specialists.
Northern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuaris coronutus) -- these amazing geckos are common on the Atherton Tablelands of FNQ. I have found a number while on night walks through the rainforest.
Southern Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuarius swaini) -- This species is common in montane rainforests of southeastern QLD. I think that the juvenile, gecko 1, is probably the most elegant of all the leaf-tails that I have ever encountered.
Wyberba Leaf-tailed Gecko (Saltuaris wyberba) -- tiny distribution in the granite belt of southern QLD. I have seen them on the road at night but they are more easily seen by walking at night around granite outcrops and scanning for the lizards.
Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus ciliaris) -- I think that all of the following are S. ciliaris. Geckos 1 & 5 are from Mutawintji, NSW. Gecko 2-3 was from Windorah, QLD. Gecko 4, 6, 7 and 8 were from Exmouth, WA. Gecko 9 was from Fowler's Gap, NSW.
Jewelled Gecko (Strophurus elderi) -- lovely geckos that are widespread in the dry areas but hard to find. They are spinifex specialists that are probably common but hard to spot in the spiny clumps of grass.
Southern Phasmid Gecko (Strophurus jaenae) -- this tiny gecko was found on the road near Sandfire (Great Sandy Desert), WA. It is a spinifex specialist.
Strophurus krisalys -- this species was found while night-walking on red dunes near Windorah, QLD.
Smooth Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus spinigerus) -- this gecko is abundant in the southwestern portion of WA. I saw huge numbers on the road at night north of Perth.
Western Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus strophurus) -- another common spiny-tailed gecko in WA. It was common north and east of the range of S. spinigerus.
Golden-tailed Gecko (Strophurus taenicauda) -- this beautiful Strophurus is confined to brigalow habitats in southern Queensland. I have only seen this single animal.
Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko (Strophurus williamsi) -- an abundant species in the mid-western highlands of NSW north into QLD.
Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) -- widespread gecko that is common in some areas. Geckos 1-6 were from the Warrumbungle area. Geckos 7-8 were from Mutawintji, NSW, and gecko 9 was from the Cue area of WA.
Granite belt Thick-tailed Gecko (Underwoodisaurus sphyrurus) -- This is the only individual of this species that I have seen despite multiple searches. It seems to be a difficult species to locate. Its colouration is a close match to the granite boulders where it lives. It is restricted the granite belt of southern QLD and northeastern NSW.
Fraser's Delma (Delma fraseri) -- from Perth, WA.
Side-barred Delma (Delma grayii) -- from Perth, WA.
Patternless Delma (Delma inornata) -- one from the Warrumbungle area, NSW.
Sharp-snouted Delma (Delma nasuata) -- one from the Exmouth area, WA.
Burton's Snake Lizard (Lialis burtonis) -- found over most of Australia. Highly variable in pattern, even in a single area.
Keeled Legless Lizard (Pletholax gracilis) -- near Perth, WA.
Common Scaly-foot (Pygopus lepidopodus) -- a widespread species. Photo 1 was from near Wollongong, NSW, and photo 2 was from Perth, WA. Photo 3 was a DOR striped phase animal from north of Perth.
Western Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus nigreceps) -- a beautiful scaly foolt that is common from the Shark Bay area and north. These photos are all from the Shark Bay portion of its range.
Eastern Hooded Scaly-foot (Pygopus schraderi) -- seems to be much harder to find than Western Hooded Scaly-foots. This was the only representative of the species that I have encountered.
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