Gekko browni (Russell, 1979)

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 : 104-105

Gekko browni (Russell, 1979) — Native; Indeterminate.

Luperosaurus browni Russell, 1979: 282–285 , fig. 1. Holotype: FMNH 185106 , by original designation. Type locality: “ Ulu Gombak forest reserve 35.4 km north of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, West Malaysia ”.

Brown’s Flap-legged Gecko

( Figure 12F )

Singapore records.

Luperosaurus browni —K.K.P. Lim & N.T.-L. Lim, 2006: 107 (Batu Koyok [ PT]).—N. Lim, 2006: 5.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 83, 160.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2008: 172, 265.— Das, 2010: 223.—H.T.W. Tan et al., 2010: 67.—L.L. Grismer, 2011b: 516, 517.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 83, 160.— L.K. Wang et al., 2012: 250.—K.K.P. Lim et al., 2016: 177.

“ Luperosaurus ” —P.K.L. Ng et al., 2011: 323.

Remarks. Gekko browni previously belonged to the genus Luperosaurus until a recent paper transferred the entire genus to Gekko (Wood 2019) . Eleven of the 12 species that once made up Luperosaurus are considered extremely rare, each being known from less than four specimens ( Grismer 2011b). The occurrence of G. browni in Singapore is known only from one specimen collected on 4 August 2005 at Batu Koyok, Pulau Tekong ( Fig. 12F ) ( Lim & Lim 2006). The individual was an adult male that was found clinging to the stem of a plant ca. 1 m off the ground, and represented the second record for the Malay Peninsula ( Lim & Lim 2006). The first specimen was the holotype described by Russell (1979), which was collected by Inger at Ulu Gombak, Selangor on 8 May 1970. Since then, one more record of G. browni was made for the Malay Peninsula at Tapah, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia ( Grismer 2011b). Gekko browni possesses interdigital webbing that may serve as an adaptation for a highly arboreal lifestyle (Russell 1979).

Occurrence. Only known from one specimen from PT. rare .

Singapore conservation status. Critically Endangered.

Conservation priority. Highest.

IUCN conservation status. Least Concern [2019].

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Pulau Tekong: ZRC.2.6140 (04-Aug-2005) .

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.

Singapore localities. Pulau Tekong.

Figures

FIGURE 12. A) Cyrtodactylus majulah, B) Cyrtodactylus pantiensis, C) Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus, D) Cyrtodactylus semenanjungensis, E) Gehyra mutilata, F) Gekko browni, G) Gekko gecko, and H) Gekko horsfieldii. Photographs by: Alex Figueroa [A, C, G], Tan Heok Hui [B], Nick Baker [D], and Kelvin K.P. Lim [E–F, H].