''Dactylocnemis pacificus'', the Pacific gecko or Pacific sticky-toed gecko, is a species 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 ...

Gekkonidae Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), the tokay gecko (''Ge ...

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 the

North Island The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...

and offshore islands of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. ''D. pacificus'' is the only described species in the genus ''Dactylocnemis'', but five offshore island forms may represent new species, one of which is the

Mokohinau gecko The Mokohinau gecko (''Dactylocnemis'' "Mokohinau") is an undescribed species of gecko found in the Mokohinau Islands, north of Auckland in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Taxonomy Currently ''Dactylocnemis pacificus'' is the only des ...

Taxonomy

The Pacific gecko was first described by

John Edward Gray John Edward Gray (12 February 1800 – 7 March 1875) was a British zoologist. He was the elder brother of zoologist George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray (1766–1828). The same is used for a z ...

in 1842 as ''Naultinus pacificus''. By 1851 the species had been recombined as ''Platydactylus pacificus'', ''Dactylocnemis pacificus'' in 1867, and ''Hoplodactylus pacificus'' in 1995. In 2011 after phylogenetic analysis, the species was placed back into the genus ''Dactylocnemis''. The genus ''Dactylocnemis'' was described by

Franz Steindachner Franz Steindachner (11 November 1834 in Vienna – 10 December 1919 in Vienna) was an Austrian zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist. He published over 200 papers on fishes and over 50 papers on reptiles and amphibians. Steindachner des ...

in 1867, who named the Pacific gecko the type species. The genus was later synonymised with ''Hoplodactylus'', but brought out of synonymy in 2011. While currently only ''Dactylocnemis pacificus'' has been formally described, there are currently five undescribed populations of ''Dactylocnemis'' lizards which may either be species or subspecies of ''Dactylocnemis pacificus''. These include the Matapia Island geckos, North Cape geckos, the

on the

Mokohinau Islands The Mokohinau Islands (Pokohinau), sometimes spelt Mokohīnau Islands are a small group of islands that lie off the northeast coast of New Zealand's North Island. The islands are northeast of Auckland, northwest of Great Barrier Island and app ...

, the

Poor Knights Islands The Poor Knights Islands (Māori: ''Tawhiti Rahi)'' are a group of islands off the east coast of the Northland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. They lie to the northeast of Whangārei, and offshore halfway between Bream Head ...

geckos, and the

Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands The Manawatāwhi / Three Kings Islands (Manawatāwhi is also the Māori language, Māori name for the largest island) are a group of 13 uninhabited islands about northwest of Cape Reinga / Te Rerenga Wairua, New Zealand, where the Pacific Oce ...

geckos. File:Dactylocnemis poor knights - Oscar Dove - 473264138.jpeg File:Dactylocnemis poor knights - Oscar Dove - 473263361.jpeg File:Dactylocnemis poor knights - Oscar Dove - 473264043.jpeg

Description

The species can grow up to in length. It has a variable body colour, typically a mottled pattern of brown, greyish brown or olive green. The underside of the Pacific gecko is pale grey in colour, and occasionally speckled with black. The species can be differentiated from the Raukawa gecko and the gold-striped gecko due to the Pacific gecko's

rostral scale The rostral scale, or rostral, in snakes and other scaled reptiles is the median plate on the tip of the snout that borders the mouth opening. Wright AH, Wright AA (1957). ''Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada''. Ithaca and London: ...

being in contact with nostrils.

Behaviour

The species is nocturnal, hiding beneath loose bark or within trees in the daytime, or on occasion sun-basking. The species forages on trees and within foliage at night time, and has an

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize ...

diet, feeling on fruits, nectar and invertebrates. Pacific geckos mate between Match and May, and give birth to one or two young between February and March. Young geckos take between three and four years to become sexually mature.

Distribution and habitat

The species is found on the

, from

Whanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whanganui is ...

north to the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for ...

. The species is found in a range of coastal and lowland habitats, including beaches, scrubland and forest.

Gallery

Hoplodactylus pomarii white background.jpg, Illustration by

Charles Frédéric Girard Charles Frédéric Girard (; 8 March 1822 – 29 January 1895) was a French biologist specializing in ichthyology and herpetology. Biography Girard was born on 8 March 1822 in Mulhouse, France. He studied at the College of Neuchâtel, Switzerl ...

in 1858 from the ''United States Exploring Expedition Herpetology Atlas'' Dactylocnemis pacificus 169935094.jpg, ''D. pacificus'' seen in the central

Waikato Region The Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City, as well as ...

Dactylocnemis pacificus 31204729.jpg, Close-up of face of ''D. pacificus'', seen near the

References

External links

Pacific gecko
at New Zealand Herpetological Society
''Dactylocnemis pacificus'' (Gray, 1842)
at the Reptile Database

photos at Ryan Photographic {{Taxonbar, from=Q3011741 Diplodactylidae Endemic fauna of New Zealand Taxa named by Franz Steindachner Monotypic lizard genera Endemic reptiles of New Zealand Reptiles described in 1842 Taxa named by John Edward Gray