Rediscovery of the Frilled Tail Gecko Hemidactylus platyurus (Schneider, 1792) in Sri Lanka after more than 160 years

Abstract

Eight species of Hemidactylus are currently recognized in Sri Lanka—frenatus, leschenaultii, scabriceps, parvimaculatus, depressus, hunae, lankae, and pieresii—with the latter four endemic to the island. A ninth species, Hemidactylus platyurus, was until now only confirmed from Sri Lanka by two specimens sent to the British Museum of Natural History by E.F. Kelaart in 1855. There was no exact collection locality recorded for these specimens, which are associated simply with the provenance “Ceylon” (now Sri Lanka). The present communication reports the rediscovery of the gecko H. platyurus and confirms its occurrence in Sri Lanka.

Keywords

• Arboreal
• behavior
• Ceylon
• Hemidactylus
• Kelaart.