''Diplodactylus custos'', sometimes called the Kimberley fat-tailed gecko, is a

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

endemic to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

Description

The gecko typically has a length from snout to vent of around . It is

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...

and lays a clutch of two eggs. It belongs to the '' Diplodactylus conspicillatus'' group and is one of the larger members. ''D. custos'' has a canthal stripe which is well-defined and an enlarged first supralabial. It has large plate-like mid-dorsal scales on the trunk and smaller

dorsolateral Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...

scales. The original tail has a short extension at tip that is acute and attenuated. A regenerated tail tends to have a rounder distal end and more uniform scales. The dorsal surface has scales that are arranged in uniform sized transverse rows. The crown and snout have darker pigmentation. The diffuse body pattern can also have wavy, dark transverse bands.

Taxonomy

The species was first formally described by the

herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...

s Couper, Oliver & Pepper in 2014. The specific epithet is taken from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word ''custos'' meaning ''guard'' which refers to the

Australian Wildlife Conservancy The Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) is an independent Australian nonprofit organisation, working to conserve threatened wildlife and ecosystems in Australia. AWC is the largest private owner and manager of land for conservation in Austral ...

's conservation efforts in the Kimberley region where the species in endemic.

Distribution

The gecko is reasonable widespread throughout the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

region in the north west of Australia. Its range extends from Kununurra in the north down to

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

in the south west and

Purnululu National Park The Purnululu National Park is a World Heritage Site in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. The national park is located approximately south of Kununurra, with Halls Creek located to the south. Declared a World Heritage Site in 2 ...

in the south. Specimens have also been found on

Yampi Peninsula Yampi Sound is a part of the Indian Ocean off the coast of north-western Australia, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is located between King Sound and Collier Bay. It lies between the Yampi Peninsula and the islands of the Bucca ...

and on

Koolan Island Koolan Island is an island off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia in the Buccaneer Archipelago. It is about north of Perth, and about north of Derby. It hosts deposits of high-grade iron ore. Description The island is approximately in ...

References

Diplodactylus Reptiles described in 2014 Geckos of Australia Taxa named by Patrick J. Couper Taxa named by Paul M. Oliver Taxa named by Mitzy Pepper {{Diplodactylidae-stub