Geckos from the Early Eocene Dormaal Site in Belgium.

The Middle and Late Eocene Lizard faunas of Europe are relatively well known, thanks to a number of lagerstätten (deposits with exceptional preservation) such as the Messel Shale of Germany. However, the Lizards of the Early Eocene are much less well understood, due to a paucity of such sites. This is unfortunate, as this interval starts with the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum at 56 million  years ago, the which saw the warmest temperatures of the past 66 million years, with Northern Europe developing a sub-tropical to tropical climate, and therefore presumably being a particularly good environment for Lizards.

One exception to this lack of Early Eocene is the Dormaal locality at  Zoutleeuw, eastern Belgium, where a fluvial deposit comprised of layers of clayey and lignitic (coal-rich) sands are interbedded with lenses of grey clays. These deposits are thought to have been laid down in a system of rivers and lagoons in the earliest Eocene, and have yielded a diverse fauna of Mammals, Lizards, Fish, Turtles, and Crocodiles.

In a paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science on 29 June 2022, Andrej Čerňanský of the Department of Ecology at Comenius University in Bratislava, Juan Daza of the Department of Biological Sciences at Sam Houston State University, Richard Smith of the Directorate Earth and History of Life at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Aaron Bauer of the Department of Biology and Center for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stewardship at Villanova University, Thierry Smith, also of the Directorate Earth and History of Life at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, and Annelise Folie of the Scientific Survey of Heritage at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, describe A new species of Gacko from the Dormaal Site.

Location of the earliest Eocene locality of Dormaal (MP7, Belgium) that has yielded Dollogekko dormaalensis and the early Eocene locality of Prémontré (MP10, France) that has yielded Laonogekko lefevrei. Čerňanský et al. (2022).

Geckos as a group have a poor fossil record, due to their lightly mineralised and easily disarticulated skeletons. The oldest known Geckos come from the Early Cretaceous amber deposits of Myanmar, with Geckos also known from Eocene Baltic Amber and Miocene Dominican Amber. Outside of these amber deposits, however, almost all fossil Geckos are known from isolated skeletal elements. Geckos have previously been recorded from the Dormaal locality, but never actually formally described.

The new species is named Dollogekko dormaalensis, where 'Dollogekko' honours the prominent Belgian palaeontologist Louis Dollo (1857-1931), combined with '-gekko' the Malay root word of the English 'gecko', often used as a suffix for generic names within the group, and 'dormaalensis' means 'from Dormaal'. The species is described from a single incomplete frontal bone (the bone that forms the forehead in Humans).

Dollogekko dormaalensis, the holotypic frontal IRSNB R 452 in (a) dorsal, (b) ventral, (c) right lateral,(d) left lateral and (e) anterior views. Čerňanský et al. (2022).

The frontal bones of Geckos tend to be highly distinctive at the species level, making it possible to reliably describe new taxa on these bones alone. The specimen from which Dollogekko dormaalensis is described comprises about the anterior half of the frontal bone, with the posterior half being lost. The preserved portion is 4.3 mm in length, is tubular-to-funnel-shaped (the whole bone would almost certainly have been hourglass shaped), and would have extended about ¾ of the way around the orbit. 

Dorsal view of the skull of some extant Geckos exhibiting diversity of frontal bone shape and sculpturing (yellow). (a) Carphodactylidae, Underwoodisaurus  milii (CAS  74744),  (b)  Diplodactylidae, Rhacodactylus  leachianus (MCZ–R15967), (c) Phyllodactylidae, Thecadactylus rapicauda (CAS 95146) and (d) Gekkonidae, Chondrodactylus angulifer (CAS 126466). Čerňanský et al. (2022).

In addition to the partial frontal from which Dollogekko dormaalensis is described, Čerňanský et al. also describe two fragments of dentary and a partial mandible from the same deposit. The dentary fragments appear to be from a Gecko about the same size as Dollogekko dormaalensis, while the partial mandible appears to come from an Animal about twice the size. Since the frontal bone from which Dollogekko dormaalensis is described is fully fused, and therefore presumed to come from an adult individual which has stopped growing, this appears likely to represent a separate species. The dentary fragments are of a size compatible with he frontal bone, but it is impossible to confirm that they belong to the same species, derive from a juvenile of the species which produced the mandible, or represent a third species. Due to this uncertainty, and the low value of mandible fragments for taxonomic purposes, none of these specimens are named, but instead referred to as Gekkota indet 1 (dentaries) and Gekkota indet 2 (mandible).

Gekkota indet. 1, the dentaries IRSNB R 454 and IRSNB R 453; Gekkota indet. 2, the mandible fragment IRSNB R 456 in(a), (e), (i) lateral, (b), (f), (j) medial, (c), (g), (k) dorsal, (d) ventral and (h) anterior views. Čerňanský et al. (2022).

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Gekko lionotum: The Smooth-backed Gliding Gecko recorded in Bangladesh for the first time.

Gliding Geckos are cryptic species distributed in the tropical forests of southeastern Asia, including southern China. Among the 60 species of Gekko, four Gliding Geckos are placed under the subgenus Ptychozoon, restricted to India, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, and the mainland Southeast Asian countries. Although species of this subgenus have been recorded from northeastern India and Myanmar, they have not been reported from Bangladesh.

In a paper published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa on 26 November 2020, Rashedul Kabir Bhuiyan of the National Botanical Garden in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Fazle Rabbe of the Department of Zoology at the University of Dhaka, and the Padma Bridge Museum, Mohammad Firoj Jaman, also of the Department of Zoology at the University of Dhaka, and Ananda Kumar Das and Samiul Mohsanin, also of the Padma Bridge Museum, present the first country record of the Smooth-backed Gliding Gecko, Gekko lionotum, from Bangladesh.

Bhuiyan et al. found a freshly dead adult specimen in the Sangu Wildlife Sanctuary in Bandarban District, Bangladesh, which was later donated to Padma Bridge Museum. In the museum this specimen was identified as a Smooth-backed Gliding Gecko, Gekko lionotum, based on the body features and other morphometric measurements. Considered a rare specimen and a valuable resource for future studies, the Gecko was preserved in alcohol as a wet specimen. According to The Reptile Database, this species is distributed in India (Mizoram), Myanmar (Rakhine and Bago), Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

 

(A) Global distribution of Gecko lionotum. (B) New record (1) of Gecko lionotum from Sangu Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandarban Bangladesh, along with nearest previous record from (2) Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary, Mizoram, India (3) Chin Minbyin Village, Rakhine State, Myanmar (4) Chaung Gwa Village, Bago Division, Myanmar. Bhuiyan et al. (2020).

Bhuiyan et al. combined characters to identify the species from several previous works by other authors. The key characters were: snout-vent length 94.8 mm; the absence of imbricated scales to support parachute, dorsal tubercles and postorbital stripe; the presence of predigital notch in preantebrachial expansion; 14–15 lamellae in 4th toe; five caudal lobes fused to form terminal lobe of the tail and denticulated laterally with expansion; absence of caudal tubercles in tail terminus; angling is slight between caudal lobes. Bhuiyan et al. compared these characteristics with other species of the subgenus Ptychozoon. The characteristics clearly show the present specimen is Gekko lionotum.

Bhuiyan et al. measured morphometric characteristics using regular slide calipers with an accuracy of 0.1 mm. They compared their morphometric data with the specimen described by Samraat Pawar and Sayantan Biswas from Mizoram State in India. Bhuiyan et al.'s comparison matches the description given for specimens from Myanmar, and the nearest specimen from Mizoram, India. Bhuiyan et al. also observed the colour pattern and body shape of their specimen. The upper parts of the body are gray to dark gray and the underparts are yellowish with black spots. The anterior ventral part is light grayish-yellow and the posterior is dark grayish-yellow. Ten transverse, distinct, wavy, blackish-gray bands present in the dorsal side (one in the head, four in inter-limb area, five in the tail). The head is triangular, with two dark gray-brown bands running from eye to ear opening and a deep gray-brown band present at the central region. The neck is narrow, small, and brownish colour; thighs and arms are similar in color. The tail is slightly shorter than the snout-vent length, dark black at the tip, and both dorsal and ventral sides are covered with a dark gray-black band. The skin of limbs, toes, and fingers is extended and lamellae are yellowish-white in colour. Coloration of the body can perfectly match with woods and trees for camouflage.

 

Specimen of Gekko lionotum from the Sangu Wildlife Sanctuary in Bandarban District, Bangladesh, in (right) dorsal, and (left) ventral views. Bhuiyan et al. (2020).

Located in the southeast of the country, Bandarban District is a global biodiversity hotspot of the Indo-Malayan region, although the forest vegetation has been degraded by settlers, local inhabitants and others. Bhuiyan et al. believe that more new species can be found if proper effort is given, however, the richest biodiversity zone also attracts organised poachers to traffic wildlife resources, timber and illegal drugs. The discovery of the Lizard species indicates the probability of getting more novel species in this area. Bhuiyan et al. suggest more research work to expand knowledge and strictly manage the diversity of the zone with the leadership of the Bangladesh Forest Department.

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Homonota marthae: A new cryptic species of Marked Gecko from northern Paraguay.

Marked Geckos of the genus Homonota are found across much of Central and South America, as well as on some Caribbean islands. These Lizards are generally nocturnal in nature, and favour dry rocky environments. There are currently twelve described species, though these are very similar in appearance, and the distributions of several species is poorly understood, so the group is likely to contain cryptic species (species which cannot be told apart easily by physical examination, but which are distinct genetically).

In a paper published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution on 28 February 2018, Pier Cacciali of the Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, the Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity at Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, and the Instituto de Investigación Biológica del Paraguay, Mariana Morando and Luciano Avila of the Grupo de Herpetología Patagónica, and Gunther Köhler, also of the Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, and the Institute for Ecology, Evolution & Diversity at Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, describe a new species of Homonota from northern Paraguay.

The new species is named Homonota marthae, in honour of herpetologist Martha Motte of the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural del Paraguay. Homonota marthae closely resembles the previously described species Homonota septentrionalis, lacking only a white band above the eyes in adults (this is present in juveniles of both species and adults of Homonota septentrionalis); the two Geckos live alongside one another, and had been presumed to be colour variants of the same species, but were shown by genetic analysis to be distinct. 

Dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views of a female specimen of Homonota marthae. Cacciali et al (2018).

Adults of this species reach 36-59 mm in length, excluding the tail, and are sandy brown in colour with darker bands on their back and a line of keeled scales along their spine. The species lives in Dry Chaco Woodland (thornscrub) in the Department of Boquerón. It is apparently unbothered by Human disturbance of this environment, and will live in human dwellings quite happily, for which reason it is not considered to be endangered.

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Gehyra rohan: A new species of Gecko from the Bismarck Arichipelago..

The Bismark Archipelago is a large group volcanic islands to the east of Papua New Guinea. This wide scatting of mostly small oceanic islands is a biodiversity hotspot, with each island typically having its own flora and fauna descended from small numbers of individuals that managed to reach the islands after they rose from the sea. Despite this importance, the remote nature of the islands means that many are relatively unexplored by biologists, and the discovery of even quite large animals there is not unusual.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 14 December 2016, Paul Oliver of the Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, and Centre for Biodiversity Analysis at The Australian National University, Jonathan Clegg of Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation, Robert Fisher of the Western Ecological Research Center of the U.S. Geological Survey, Stephen Richards of the South Australian Museum and Peter Taylor and Merlijn Jocque, also of Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation describe a new species of Gecko from the Bismarck Archipelago.

The new species is placed in the genus Gehyra, which has previously been recorded from Southeast Asia east to the Ryukyu Islands and southeast to the islands of Melanesia and Oceania, and given the specific name rohan, which is the local name in the Nali language given to the species on Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands, a name requested by the people of Sohoniliu Village on Manus Island. The species is exceptionally large, reaching 130-150 mm in length, and brown in colour and mottled with patches of lighter brown, white, black and orange.

Specimen of Gehyra rohan from Mussau Island in the St Matthias Islands. S. Venter in Oliver et al. (2016).

The species was found at a number of separate localities on Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands, as well as possibly on the neighbouring islands of Los Negros and Nauna. It was also found on Mussau Island in the St Matthias Islands, and possibly Fiji. The species was found in both primary and disturbed lowland rainforest, living primarily in the trees, though the species was also found in and around Human habitations and in one case in a cave. One specimen was observed to 'glide' about 3 m to another tree when disturbed.

A molecular phylogenetic study suggests that Gehyra rohan is most closely related to Gehyra georgepottshaasti, a species found on Vanuatu, and Gehyra vorax, a species found in Fiji, but that it probably diverged from these species during the late Miocene; earlier than some estimates for the emergence of the Admiralty Islands, Fiji or Vanuatu. This suggests that the genus Gehyra has been in the region since at least the Miocene, possibly occupying a series of now vanished volcanic islands prior to the emergence of the modern islands.

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Cyrtodactylus petani: A new species of Bent-toed Gecko from East Java.

Bent-toed Geckos of the genus Cyrtodactylus are found across much of Southeast Asia. Recent studies have revealed the group to contain many cryptic species (species which closely resemble other species and which can only be differentiated by close morphological examination or genetic analysis), which has revealed that many long established species within the group are in fact species groups made up of several similar but genetically distinct species. To date all members of the genus from Java have been referred to two species, Cyrtodactylus fumosus and Cyrtodactylus marmoratus, though it has been suspected for some time that this may not reflect the true diversity of the genus on the island.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 22 December 2015, Awal Riyanto of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense of The IndonesianInstitute of Sciences, Lee Grismer of the Department of Biology at LaSierra University and Perry Wood of the Department of Biology at Brigham Young University, describe a new species of Cyrtodactylus from East Java.

The new species is named Cyrtodactylus petani, where 'petani' means 'farmer' in Indonesian; the specimens from which the species is described having lived on farmland. The populations from which the species is described were previously assigned to Cyrtodactylus fumosus, and are similar, though the species can be differentiated by physical examination; Cyrtodactylus petani being slightly shorter and having a different pattern of scales. The animals have a camouflaged pattern, with brown, black and yellowish scales forming bands along the back and a lighter underside. The species was found in a number of habitats, including embankments in paddy fields, rocks and trees in farm gardens, rocks on a dry riverbed, artificial (cement) riverbanks and trees in teak woodland, though always close to the ground. The species is clearly highly adaptable, and able to colonise disturbed, man-made environments as well as natural ones.

Cyrtodactylus petani, male speciemen from Jeladri Village in Pasuruan District, East Java. Riyanto et al. (2015).

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Calcified Lizard eggs with preserved embryos from the Early Cretaceous of Thailand.                                                                        Among living Vertebrate groups, Lizards show the most diverse range of reproductive strategies, with species known that reproduce sexually...

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Calcified Lizard eggs with preserved embryos from the Early Cretaceous of Thailand.

Among living Vertebrate groups, Lizards show the most diverse range of reproductive strategies, with species known that reproduce sexually and parthanogenically  (check spelling – a form of asexual reproduction in which the female fertilizes her own eggs, rather than producing clones as in some Insects and Plants), as well as egg laying and viviparous (live-birthing) Lizards being known. The majority of Lizards produce soft-shelled eggs, with casings with a leathery or parchment-like casing, similar to the eggs of Turtles and Crocodiles, however some members of one group, the Geckoes, produce calcified eggs, similar to those of Birds. Calcified Lizard eggs are known in the fossil record from the Early Cretaceous onwards, and have generally been referred to the Gekkota, however there is no strong basis for this assumption, as these eggs have not been found in close association with adult Lizards nor produced examinable embryos, so the possibility that members of other Lizard groups produced calcified eggs in the past cannot be ruled out.

In a paper published in the journal PLoS One on 15 July 2015, Vincent Fernandez of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and the Evolutionary Studies Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand, Eric Buffetaut of the Laboratoire de Géologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Varavudh Suteethorn of the Palaeontological Research and Education Centre at Mahasarakham University, Jean-Claude Rage of the Sorbonne Universités and the Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle, Paul Tafforeau, also of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and Martin Kundrát of the Subdepartment of Development and Evolution at Uppsala University and the Institute of Physiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, describe a series of calcified Lizard eggs with preserved embryos from the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of Sakhon Nakhorn Province in northeast Thailand.

Material and geological settings. (A) Map of Thailand showing outcrops of the Sao Khua Formation (in green) and (B) close-up on north-eastern-Thailand with location of Phu Phok; (C) and photograph of 4 of the eggs from Phu Phok (SK1-1, SK1-2, SK1-3 and SK1-4). Scale bar is 1 cm. Fernandez et al. (2015).

The eggs were collected during official field campaigns of the Royal Thai Department of Mineral Resources and examined at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, and have subsequently been placed in the collection of the Sirindhorn Museum in Phu Kum Khao. When collected the eggs were thought to have been produced by a Theropod Dinosaur, but examination with phase contrast synchrotron microtomography (multiple X-rays used to build up a three dimensional computer model of the internal structure of an object) revealed the presence of  disarticulated embryonic Lizard skeletons in the eggs.

Three-dimensional rendering of two fossil eggs and their enclosed embryonic bones from Phu Phok. (A) SK1-2. (B) SK1-1. Colours: red, skull and mandible; yellow, vertebrae; grey, ribs; green, pectoral and pelvic girdle; blue, limbs. Scale bar is 5 mm. Fernandez et al. (2015).

The eggs were all crushed, but are interpreted to have been about 18 mm in height and 11 mm in maximum diameter, giving them a volume of about 1.15 cm³. The shells of the eggs appear to comprise a single layer of calcitic material overlaying an inner layer of fibrous material. The surface ornamentation of the eggs is nodular, with two distinct sizes of nodules, one tall and one smaller. Beneath these nodes are funnel-shaped canals, with their tips opening at the tips of the nodes and with wider depressions on the inner surface; these are interpreted as pore-canals (which would have allowed the living egg to breath and regulate moisture). The calcite layer is comprised of large crystals arranged in a columnar manner, arranged in a fan-shaped pattern around the pores/nodes.

Eggshell morphology and microstructure of the eggs from Phu Phok. (A) 3D rendering of a portion of the surface of the eggshell of SK1-2 showing the distribution of nodes. (B) Tomogram of SK1-1 showing two eggshell fragments that slid in the egg, outer surfaces oriented to the top of the figure. The inner half of both shell fragments is displayed in darker shades of grey indicating the shell is less dense than the whiter outer half. The funnel-shaped depression (d) do not seem to be obstructed. The pore canals (p) are highlighted by the edge interference resulting from the phase contrast effect (black and white fringes). (C-D) SEM photographs of an eggshell fragment showing the fan-shaped pattern of crystal at the level of a surface node (n). Note the fibrous layer (f) underlining the eggshell. (D) Close up from (C). Scale bars in (A, B) are 500 μm. Fernandez et al. (2015).

Computerised tomography enabled the reconstruction of two embryos of slightly different ages, both apparently the same species of long-snouted, large-braincased Lizard. A number of features of the skulls and teeth of these specimens suggest that they are members of the Platynota, the group of Anguimorph Lizards that includes the modern Monitor and Bearded Lizards as well as the extinct Mosasaurs, and definitely not to the Gekkota. This is the first time that a calcified egg has been shown to have been to have been produced by a non-Gekkotan Lizard.

Skull and mandible of the anguimorph embryos from Phu Phok. (A,B) skull, dorsal (A) and lateral (B) views. (C) left mandible, lateral view. Colours: yellow, SK1-1; green, SK1-2; red, absent or incomplete bone replaced by symmetrical reconstruction. Anatomical abbreviations: a, angular; ar, articular; c, coronoid; d, dentary; e, epipterygoid; ec, ectopterygoid; end, calcified endolymph; eo, exoccipital; f, frontal; j, jugal; m, maxilla; mf, mental foramen; op, opisthotic; p, parietal; pbs, parabasisphenoid; pf, postfrontal; pl, palatine; po, postorbital; pr, prootic; prf, prefrontal; pt, pterygoid; q, quadrate; s, stapes; sa, surangular; sm, septomaxilla; soc, supraoccipital; sq, squamosal; v, vomer. Scale bars are 1 mm. Fernandez et al. (2015).

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Babibasiliscus alxi: A Casquehead Lizard from the Early Eocene of Wyoming.

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 A three dimensionally preserved Pterosaur egg from the Early Cretaceous of Argentina.

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A new species of Velvet Gecko from the southern Kimberley of Western Australia.

Velvet Geckos of the genus Oedura are medium to large Geckos found across much of northern and eastern Australia, with isolated populations in the arid interior of the continent. The group is known to contain many highly endemic species (i.e. species with very limited distributions).

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 14 October 2014, PaulOliver, Rebecca Laver and Jane Melville of the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne and Museum Victoria and Paul Doughty of the Departmentof Terrestrial Zoology at the Western Australian Museum describe a new species of Velvet Gecko from the Oscar Range on the southern edge of the Kimberley Craton in northern Western Australia.

The new species is named Oedura murrumanu, which means Gecko in the Bunuba language, spoken in the area where it was found. Oedura murrumanuis a large Gecko reaching about 170 mm in length, a dark purplish brown in colour with lighter transverse bands (bands running across the body).

Oedura murrumanu in life. Paul Horner in Oliver et al. (2014).

The species was found living on rock platforms near deep horizontal crevices, and also seen on limestone pillars in the Oscar Range. The Geckos were observed drinking from pools on the rocks at the beginning of the wet season, and also pursuing smaller Geckos, apparently with the intention of predation. A single gravid female was collected, suggesting that eggs are laid during the wet season.

Deeply dissected limestone formations at the locality where Oedura murrumanuwas discovered in the Oscar Range. Paul Oliver in Oliver et al. (2014).

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A new species of Phasmid Gecko from the Arnhem Plateau in Northern Territory, Australia.

Phasmid Geckos are small climbing Geckos of the genus Strophurus found across much of northern Australia, where they inhabit stands of Spinifex Grass (clump-forming grasses of the genus Triodia). They get their name from their resemblance to Stick Insects (Phasmids), being elongate, slow moving Lizards with camouflaging colouration, though the term is colloquial and is not applied to all members of the genus, which is defined by the presence of defensive glands that secrete a viscous fluid distasteful to predators.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 22 October 2014, PaulOliver of the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne, MuseumVictoria and the Research School of Biology at the Australian NationalUniversity and Tom Parkin of the Museum & Art Gallery of the NorthernTerritory describe a new species of Phasmid Gecko from the Arnhem Plateau in the Top End of the Northern Territory.

The new species is named Strophurus horneri, in honour of Paul Horner of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, one of the scientists who helped collect the first specimens of the species. These are small slender Geckos, reaching less than 40 mm in total length. They are very pale in colour, being yellowish with distinct longitudinal stripes (stripes running along the body).

Strophurus horneriin life, at Yirrkakak on the northern edge of the Arnhem Plateau. RichGlor in Oliver & Parkin (2014).

Strophurus horneri was found to be living on the northern and western fringes of the Arnhem Plateau, a 32 000 km² sandstone block rising 100-400 m above sea-level with a distinct climate and flora and fauna compared to the surrounding landscape.

Habitat of Strophurus horneri at Namarragon Gorge, Kakadu National Park. Stuart Young in Oliver & Parkin (2014).

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The Kandyan House Gecko; not extinct after all.

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