Hemidactylus craspedotus Mocquard, 1890

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 111-112

Hemidactylus craspedotus Mocquard, 1890 — Native.

Hemidactylus craspedotus Mocquard, 1890: 144 . Holotype:MNHN-RA 1889.0297, by original designation. Type locality: “nord de Bornéo” Sabah, East Malaysia .

Frilly Gecko

( Figure 13F )

Singapore records.

Cosymbotes craspedotus —K.K.P. Lim, 1991c: 307–308 (Nee Soon Swamp Forest).— Denzer & Manthey, 1991: 314.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 118.—P.K.L. Ng & K.K.P. Lim, 1992: 260.—K.K.P. Lim, 1994b: 222, 331.—R.C.H. Teo & Rajathurai, 1997: 389, 390 (Nee Soon Range [NSSF]; Tiup Tiup [BTNR]).— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 216.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 172, 265 (Pulau Tekong).

Cosymbotes [sic] craspedotes [sic]—P.K.L. Ng et al., 1995: 120.

Cosymbotus craspedotes —Chan-ard et al., 1999: 23.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 150.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 78, 159 (Pulau Tekong).

Hemidactylus craspedotus — Das, 2010: 221.— Davison, 2011: 109.—L.L. Grismer, 2011a: 127.—L.L. Grismer, 2011b: 480, 481.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 78, 159.—M.A.H. Chua, 2014b: 58 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 68.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 177.— M.A.H. Chua, 2017: 69 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).—R.C.H. Teo & Thomas, 2019: 157, 180 (Bukit Timah Nature Reserve).— Janssen & Sy, 2022: 95, 160.

Remarks. First discovered in Singapore on 1 January 1991 at NSSF ( Lim 1991c), H. craspedotus was not recorded again until one was found at NSSF (sometime prior to 1997), and when another was sighted at BTNR in 1998 (Teo & Rajathurai 1997). Afterwards, H. craspedotus has only been reported four additional times, all from BTNR. The first time was on 30 June 2012 ( Chua 2014b), followed by the second observation five years later on 27 April 2017 (Chua 2017). The last two records were made during the BTNR comprehensive surveys (Teo & Thomas 2019). Three additional records (bringing the total to 10) comes from two specimens at LKCNHM that were collected in 2003 and 2004, and from the individual shown in Figure 13F which was photographed at BTNR on 6 November 2015 (H. Siow pers. comm.). Although reported from Pulau Tekong ( Baker & Lim 2012; Lim 2008), Lim et al. (2016) treated these records as erroneous stating that they were not substantiated by any sightings or photographs. Hemidactylus craspedotus is an extremely cryptic and arboreal species, and thus, continues to be infrequently observed.

Occurrence. Restricted to BTNR and NSSF. Rare.

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2021].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve : ZRC.2.5890 (02-Oct-2003) ; Nee Soon Swamp Forest : ZRC.2.3260 (01-Jan-1991) , ZRC.2.6110 (09-Sep-2004) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve—Nee Soon Swamp Forest.

Figures

FIGURE 13. A) Gekko horsfieldii, B) Gekko hulk, C) Gekko kuhli, D) Gekko monarchus, E) Hemidactylus brookii, F) Hemidactylus craspedotus, G) Hemidactylus frenatus, and H) Hemidactylus platyurus. Photographs by: Evan S.H. Quah [A], Francis L.K. Lim [B], Kelvin K.P. Lim [C, G], Alex Figueroa [D, H], Joys Tan [E], and Holly Siow [F].