''Crenadactylus horni'', the Central Uplands clawless gecko, is a species of
gecko endemic to the central desert region of
Australia.
Taxonomy
A species proposed by
Arthur H. S. Lucas and
Charles Frost, given the name ''Ebenavia horni'' to ally the taxon to a clawless gecko species found in
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
, basing their description on material collected on the
Horn expedition to central Australia.
The taxon was later placed as a subspecies of ''
Crenadactylus ocellatus
''Crenadactylus ocellatus'', also known as the southwestern clawless gecko or western clawless gecko, is the smallest species of nocturnal Gekkonidae (gecko) found in Australia.
Endemic to Australia, it is distributed in the southwest of the ...
'', but re-elevated to species status in a revision of the genus that recognised seven distinguishable species.
The type locality was identified as
Charlotte Waters
Charlotte Waters was a tiny settlement in the Northern Territory of Australia located close to the South Australian border, not far from Aputula. It was known for its telegraph station, the Charlotte Waters Telegraph Station, which became a hu ...
in the Northern Territory.
The specific epithet ''horni'' is named by Lucas and Frost for the sponsor of the scientific expedition that provided the type specimen, the pastoralist
William Austin Horn.
Description
A species of ''
Crenadactylus
''Crenadactylus'', the clawless geckos, are named for their distinguishing feature, the absence of terminal claws on the digits. They are the only Australian members of Gekkonidae to lack claws, the endemic genus is also the smallest in size.
...
'', distinguished by superficial details of the scales and coloration.
The snout vent length is recorded up to 34.8 mm, a larger and robust species of the relatively smaller genus of geckos. The stripes running the length of the body contrasts a darker colour against the mostly tan and pale brown of the scales.
Records of the habitat at the collection sites indicate an association with spinifex mounds, a dominant vegetation type of the arid centre of Australia.
''Crenadactylus horni'' presumed to have become geographically isolated around twenty to thirty million years ago, shown in evidence of ancient genetic divergence, persisting in micro-habitat that has become separated from sister species by the increasingly dry climate of the continent.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q63226181
Crenadactylus
Reptiles described in 1895
Taxa named by Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas
Taxa named by Charles Frost (naturalist)
Reptiles of the Northern Territory
Reptiles of South Australia