''Orraya'' is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Carphodactylidae
The Carphodactylidae, informally known as the southern padless geckos, are a Family (biology), family of geckos, lizards in the infraorder Gekkota. The family consists of 34 described species in 7 Genus, genera, all of which are Endemism, endemic ...
. The genus contains the sole
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
''Orraya occultus'', also known
commonly as the McIlwraith leaf-tailed gecko or the long-necked northern leaf-tailed gecko. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
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 ...
.
[ www.reptile-database.org.]
Geographic range
''O. occultus'' is restricted to higher elevations in the
McIlwraith Range in northeastern
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, 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 manifestation of its ...
of ''O. occultus'' is
forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
, at altitudes of .
Description
''O. occultus'' may attain a
snout-to-vent length (SVL) of almost . It is moderately spinose, and has a very long, thin neck.
[
]
Reproduction
''O. occultus'' 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 ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Cogger HG (2014). ''Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition''. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
* Couper PJ, Covacevich JA, Moritz C (1993). "A review of the leaf-tailed geckos endemic to eastern Australia: a new genus, four new species, and other new data". ''Memoirs of the Queensland Museum'' 34 (1): 95–124. (''Saltuarius occultus'', new species).
*Couper PJ, Schneider CJ, Hoskin CJ, Covacevich JA (2000). "Australian leaf-toed geckos: phylogeny, a new genus, two new species and other new data". ''Memoirs of the Queensland Museum'' 45 (2): 253–265. ("''Orraya'' ", new genus; ''Orraya occultus'', new combination).
*Wilson S
Wilson may refer to:
People
*Wilson (name)
** List of people with given name Wilson
** List of people with surname Wilson
* Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender
* Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...
, Swan G (2013). ''A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition''. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .
Carphodactylidae
Geckos of Australia
Monotypic lizard genera
Taxa named by Patrick J. Couper
Taxa named by Jeanette Covacevich
Taxa named by Christopher J. Schneider (herpetologist)
Taxa named by Conrad J. Hoskin
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