Gekko albofasciolatus ( Guenther 1867)
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https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/vz.72.e77702 |
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lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3A5B7AD2-5A81-42E9-B013-6A95ED03E7B6 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/FBEECBA8-93B7-5AC4-94CC-2E029A6C3342 |
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scientific name |
Gekko albofasciolatus ( Guenther 1867) |
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Gekko albofasciolatus ( Guenther 1867)
Rösler et al. (2011) and Wood et al. (2020a) considered Gekko albofasciolatus a valid species within G. ( Gekko ). Rösler et al. (2011) provide a detailed history of the taxonomy G. albofaciolatus which is best repeated here in its original form: "In the original description of Gecko albo-fasciolatus (= Gekko albofasciolatus ), Günther (1867) only provided a vague type locality Polynesia with a question mark. Smith (1935) subsequently stated 'type loc. unknown, probably Malay Archipelago.' Later, Wermuth (1965) wrote ‘Polynesia’ as the type locality with the addition (fide Smith 1935), that the species probably occurs in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. According to Günther (1872), G. smithii occurs in the north of Borneo (Labuan, now Sabah) and G. albofasciolatus in the South (Banjermassin, Martapoura). We herein restrict the type locality of G. albofasciolatus to Banjermassin (= Banjar-masin), Kalimantan, Indonesia. While commenting on G. albofasciolatus , Günther (1872:589) stated that he received three specimens from Dr. Bleeker from Borneo under different names ( Platydactylus pentonopus , Platydactylus borneensis , and Hemidactylus zosterophorus ). From Günther’s (1872) footnotes it is obvious that he allocated all of Bleeker’s specimens to G. albofasciolatus . Of Bleeker’s species, only Platydactylus borneensis had been recorded from Borneo. The names P. borneënsis (= P. borneensis ) and H. zosterophorus were introduced by Bleeker (1857) without formal species descriptions (see also Bleeker 1860). The type locality of Platydactylus borneensis (non Pentadactylus borneensis Günther, 1864 = Aeluroscalabotes felinus Günther, 1864; non Tarentola borneensis Gray, 1845 = Tarentola delalandii Duméril & Bibron, 1836) is ‘Bandjermasin’ and the type locality of Hemidactylus zosterophorus is 'Padang (ook op Nias)'. In his critical review of Bleeker’s type specimens, Boulenger (1887) did not consider the taxa Platydactylus borneensis and Hemidactylus zosterophorus . According to Bauer (1994), both names are species inquirenda and Kluge (2001) listed them as nomina nuda (see also Rösler 2000). Therefore, the names Platydactylus borneensis Bleeker, 1857 and Hemidactylus zosterophorus Bleeker, 1857, which are according to Günther’s (1872) statements younger, subjective synonyms of Gekko albofasciolatus Günther, 1867, are not available. The same concerns Günther’s (1872) name Platydactylus pentonopus . Boulenger (1885) synonymized G. albofasciolatus with G. smithii (see also Wermuth 1965; Kluge 1991, 1993; Bauer 1994; Rösler 2000). De Rooij (1915) obviously also followed Boulenger (1885), because she listed the distribution of G. albofasciolatus based on Günther (1872) under the species G. smithii . Recently, Kluge (2001) revalidated G. albo-fasciolatus at the specific rank, but Malkmus et al. (2002) and Das (2004) did not consider G. albofasciolatus as part of the Bornean herpetofauna."
Günther (1867) noted that Gekko albofasciolatus had a reddish-olive dorsum marbled with grayish and a uniformly whitish venter. Specimens with a reddish-olive dorsum with gray marbling also occur in Sabah (Fig. 9E View Figure 9 ) and preserved material examined from western and eastern Borneo all have uniform whitish venters, although in life, some have faint-yellow marbling which presumably fades after preservation. Günther (1867) also noted his specimen had "a narrow horseshoe-shaped band across the neck, the convexity being directed backwards". This is clearly in reference to the nuchal band which was not present in specimens we examined or in photographs we acquired (Fig. 9 View Figure 9 ). Contra to Das (2004, 2007), all Bornean specimens we examined had the characteristic dark Y-shaped marking on the head common to G. smithii and geckos of the eastern peninsular lineage (Figs 7 View Figure 7 , 8 View Figure 8 , 9 View Figure 9 ). Grossmann (2006) illustrated a specimen from eastern Kalimantan (i.e. eastern Borneo) with a brown vertebral stripe and small white dorsal flecks. All adult Bornean specimens examined herein, have small white flecks and variable degrees of dorsal striping and ground color (Fig. 9 View Figure 9 ). Therefore, dorsal color pattern is not a reliable character separating populations from Borneo west of the Iran Mountains and populations east of the Iran Mountains. Rösler et al. (2011) noted that northern Bornean populations might be different on the basis of Günther’s G. albofasciolatus (eastern Borneo) having 26 rows of ventral scales versus 29-39 in G. smithii s.l. However, specimens examined from northern Borneo (N = 7) have 23-33 scale rows and a specimen examined from eastern Kalimantan at Kelay (Fig. 9C View Figure 9 ) has 27 scale rows. Therefore, at this point, other than the spotted nuchal band, there are no morphological or color pattern differences between G. albofasciolatus populations east of the Iran Mountains and populations west of the Iran Mountains (i.e. from the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah and the Sultanate of Brunei). The molecular data clearly indicate that the Bornean samples from Sarawak are not conspecific with G. smithii s.s. or any other lineage (Fig. 2 View Figure 2 ). Therefore, the name Gekko albofasciolatus , is available for Bornean populations. However, owing to an absence of molecular data from eastern populations, all populations west of the Iran Mountains are referred to as G. cf. albofasciolatus pending the outcome of a molecular analysis. We believe this approach is justified based on the fact that the Banjaran Titiwangsa of Peninsular Malaysia separate G. smithii and the east peninsular lineage and the Iran Mountains may be doing the same with populations from Borneo. Investigations on Bornean populations are currently underway (Grismer et al. unpubl.)
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