''Gehyra versicolor'', commonly known as the eastern tree dtella. is a

native Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

gecko occurring in temperate forests of

eastern Australia The eastern states of Australia are the states adjoining the east continental coastline of Australia. These are the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Capital Territory ...

Taxonomy

It was formerly considered as

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

with ''

Gehyra variegata ''Gehyra variegata'', the tree dtella, variegated dtella or varied dtella, is a species of gecko in the genus ''Gehyra ''Gehyra'' is a genus of geckos in the family ''Gekkonidae''. They are known as web-toed geckos or dtellas, and most spe ...

'' until classified as a separate

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in 2014.

Description

''G. versicolor'' is a medium grey to brown gecko with complex dark and white markings. It can have faint to prominent white spots or short lines adjoining on the posterior margins of dark markings. The G. Versicolor has a flattened body and pads at the end of each toe. They contain 8-11 pairs of

supralabial scale In reptiles, the supralabial scales, also called upper-labials, are those scales that border the mouth opening along the upper jaw. They do not include the median scaleWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates ( ...

s. The max body length is 57mm. The adult

snout A snout is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw. In many animals, the structure is called a muzzle, rostrum, or proboscis. The wet furless surface around the nostrils of the nose of many mammals is c ...

length is between 37-54mm. The length of full-grown tail is between 40-58mm. The G. versicolor and G. variegate are extremely difficult to extinguish based on external

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

as they share the characteristics. The species are distinguished due to their difference in

karyotype A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...

and distribution.

Evolutionary History

Historically, the genus ''

Gehyra ''Gehyra'' is a genus of geckos in the family ''Gekkonidae''. They are known as web-toed geckos or dtellas, and most species within the genus bear close resemblance to geckos from the genus ''Hemidactylus''. Geographic range ''Gehyra'' specie ...

'' has been difficult to delimit due to their continent-wide distribution, similar morphological characteristics and high

genetic diversity Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, it ranges widely from the number of species to differences within species and can be attributed to the span of survival for a species. It is dis ...

among the group. In the 1970s and the 1980s,

chromosomal A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins are ...

studies found that there was substantial

heterogeneity Homogeneity and heterogeneity are concepts often used in the sciences and statistics relating to the uniformity of a substance or organism. A material or image that is homogeneous is uniform in composition or character (i.e. color, shape, siz ...

and independent patterns of

karyotypic A karyotype is the general appearance of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in the cells of a species or in an individual organism, mainly including their sizes, numbers, and shapes. Karyotyping is the process by which a karyotype is disce ...

diversity within some of the species of ''Gehyra'' ''.'' In 1982, the three species found were the '' G. variegate'', '' G. monitum,'' and '' G. nana.'' In 2014, molecular genetic studies found that there were five separate species within the ''Gehyra'' genus. ''G. monitum'' was split into two new species known as '' G. moritzi'' and '' G. pulingka'' ''.'' The ''G. variegate'' Eastern Australian populations are now known as the ''G. versicolor'' ''.'' The most recent ancestor of the genus ''Gehyr'' migrated from Asia to Australia during the late-Eocene to mid- Miocene (13-33 million years ago). It was highly adapted to tropical environments and the division of the genus occurred when they migrated to the arid Kimberly region.

Distribution

''G. versicolor'' is widespread over the Eastern part of Australia. Its range stretches from northern

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

through the

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills, that runs rough ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and up to

North Queensland North Queensland or the Northern Region is the northern part of the Australian state of Queensland that lies just south of Far North Queensland. Queensland is a massive state, larger than many countries, and its tropical northern part has been ...

. It stretches west into most of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

and into central

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. It is not found in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

Habitat

''G. versicolor'' is reliant on native, mature,

woody vegetation A woody plant is a plant that produces wood as its structural tissue and thus has a hard stem. In cold climates, woody plants further survive winter or dry season above ground, as opposite to herbaceous plants that die back to the ground until sp ...

for

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

. These

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

macrohabitats are widespread usually fall under the categories of dry woodland,

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

h woodland. Vegetation is often composed of Red Gum,

Pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

- Buloke, Mallee and Black Box Woodland. The microhabitat of ''G. versicolor'' is characterised of thick peeling bark, fallen logs, fallen timber,

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

and rocks. The species is both

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the Animal locomotion, locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. Th ...

and saxicoline, relying on both the group and mid-canopy habitats. Gehyra versicolor 115026621

Ecology

Reproduction

Male and female ''G. versicolor'' reach

sexual maturity Sexual maturity is the capability of an organism to reproduce. In humans it might be considered synonymous with adulthood, but here puberty is the name for the process of biological sexual maturation, while adulthood is based on cultural definitio ...

at 2 years of age but do not begin breeding until 3 years old. Females lay a single egg twice per year. The first egg is laid in late spring and the second egg is laid in mid-summer. Eggs are dispersed away from parent habitat and are usually laid under protective logs, bark or

rock formations A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock formation'' can also refer to specific sediment ...

. Eggs hatch approximately 60–80 days after they are laid.

Behaviour

''G. versicolor'' is primarily

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

but is known to be active during the day to

thermoregulate Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

. Like all reptilian species, ''G. Versicolor'' is cold-blooded and must thermoregulate through behavioural actions, such as sunning themselves. Breeding and growth are limited to the warmer months within a year and the species undergo a state of

torpor Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables animals to survive periods of reduced food availability. The term "torpor" can refer to the time ...

during the colder winter months. Males are

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

and only one can occur per tree. Males often share a habitat with one or two females. Like most geckos, they are tolerating of young and will share their microhabitat with them for long periods of time. ''G. versicolor'' have limited dispersal movements. The largest movements occur when the female deposit their eggs within a different microhabitat. Young also disperse when finding vacant and suitable microhabitats. ''G. versicolor'', like all species of the genus ''Gehyra'', can detach their tail as defensive mechanism and regrow it back. When a ''G. versicolor'' is stressed, they drop their tail in an attempt to distract and escape from

predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

Diet

G. versicolor is an

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

that preys on a variety of

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a Segmentation (biology), segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and Arth ...

s including

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s and

crickets Crickets are orthopteran insects which are related to bush crickets, and, more distantly, to grasshoppers. In older literature, such as Imms,Imms AD, rev. Richards OW & Davies RG (1970) ''A General Textbook of Entomology'' 9th Ed. Methuen 8 ...

^{/sup>. They also rely on sap

Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant.

Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...
from gum bleeds due to its high nutrient intake ^{/sup>. G. Versicolor will continuously lick sap and are more commonly found on vegetation with significant gum bleeds such as the '' A. Victoriae'' ^{/sup>.

Competition and predation

''G. versicolor'' have limited competition

Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...
with native species. The geckos, '' Oedura ocellata'' Boulenger and the ''Heteronotia binoei

''Heteronotia binoei'', also known commonly as the Bynoe's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. One of Australia's least habitat-specific geckos, it occurs naturally across much of the cou ...
'' (Gray) compete for the same macrohabitat but have different microhabitat and food resources. Termite

Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattode ...
s are a competing native species with the ''G. versicolor'' as they degrade
Degradation may refer to:
Science
* Degradation (geology), lowering of a fluvial surface by erosion
* Degradation (telecommunications), of an electronic signal
* Biodegradation of organic substances by living organisms
* Environmental degradation ...
microhabitats used by the gecko.

''G. versicolor'' are known to be a common food resource for many native and invasive predators. They are predated by red foxes

The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, p ...
and feral cats

A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
(invasive), marsupial mice, kookaburra

Kookaburras are terrestrial tree kingfishers of the genus ''Dacelo'' native to Australia and New Guinea, which grow to between in length and weigh around . The name is a loanword from Wiradjuri ''guuguubarra'', onomatopoeic of its call. The ...
s, ravens, butcher-birds and larger lizards and skink

Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, a family in the infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one of the most diverse families of lizards. Ski ...
s (native).

Ecological role

''G. versicolor'' play a vital role within their ecosystem

An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
. They are an abundant food resources for many predators, including a variety of birds, reptiles and mammals. They are also responsible for pollination

Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds ...
and seed dispersal
In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant.
Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...
for many native vegetative species. Whilst looking for food, the gecko often rubs against plant stigmas and allows for cross-pollination between other species and populations.

Threats and conservation status

''G. versicolor'' is categorised at least concern on the ranking of conservation status. It has a stable and highly abundant population. However, the ''G. versicolor'' is especially vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. They are an interior species that rely on continuous, mature, native habitat. They are not effective dispersers, so are unable to migrate if their habitat is targeted by land-clearing. It was found that ''G. versicolor'' completely avoid agricultural landscapes and edge habitat due to the high rates of predation.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18012629

Gehyra
Reptiles described in 2014
Geckos of Australia}}}