Gulbaru Leaf-Tailed Gecko Trivia

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is categorized in the Reptilia class and is considered a reptile.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s scientific name is Phyllurus gulbaru.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko was named after an Aboriginal name. The epithet is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

This gecko is endemic to Australia, 37 kilometers northwest of Townsville. Individuals have been collected at Palm Tree Creek (19°20′S, 146°28′E) and on an unnamed tributary of Black River (19°17′S, 146°29′E).

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko has the ability to regenerate its tail.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is oviparous and produces young by means of eggs that are hatched after they have been laid by the parent.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko appears to be completely forest and rainforest dependent.

Part of the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s habitat is now protected within Paluma Range National Park, an extension in part motivated by the conservation requirements of this gecko.

There is no population information available for the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko has been listed as Endangered because its estimated extent of occurrence is approximately 12 km², its distribution is severely fragmented, and there is a continuing decline in the extent and quality of its habitat as a result of burning and grazing.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko inhabits subtropical/tropical forests and wetlands.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko inhabits subtropical/tropical forests and wetlands.

The establishment and expansion of protected areas is recommended to reduce the rate of habitat loss occurring within the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s range. Effective fire management is also recommended, especially in the south of the range. Development of strategies to mitigate the risk from collection, including keeping the specific identity of localities secret, is another recommendation.

The establishment and expansion of protected areas is recommended to reduce the rate of habitat loss occurring within the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s range. Effective fire management is also recommended, especially in the south of the range. Development of strategies to mitigate the risk from collection, including keeping the specific identity of localities secret, is another recommendation.

The establishment and expansion of protected areas is recommended to reduce the rate of habitat loss occurring within the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s range. Effective fire management is also recommended, especially in the south of the range. Development of strategies to mitigate the risk from collection, including keeping the specific identity of localities secret, is another recommendation.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is desirable and might well be targeted by collectors.

The skin of the head is co-ossified with the skull.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s population trend is unknown.

Gulbaru leaf-tailed geckos are notable for their highly effective camouflage which is in part aided by the spiny tubercles that cover every body part.

Collection for the pet trade represents the only major threat to the remaining Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko localities.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s ear opening is elliptical and vertical and is much less than half as large as the eye.

Gulbaru leaf-tailed geckos are small in body length at 89 millimeters long.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is separated from other Phyllurus species by having a partially divided, as opposed to fully divided, rostral scale. The rostral scale is partly divided by a midline groove. The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is also the most northerly member of the genus Phyllurus and does not have a very flattened, leaf-shaped tail.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is separated from other Phyllurus species by having a partially divided, as opposed to fully divided, rostral scale. The rostral scale is partly divided by a midline groove. The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is also the most northerly member of the genus Phyllurus and does not have a very flattened, leaf-shaped tail.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is separated from other Phyllurus species by having a partially divided, as opposed to fully divided, rostral scale. The rostral scale is partly divided by a midline groove. The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is also the most northerly member of the genus Phyllurus and does not have a very flattened, leaf-shaped tail.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is a carnivorous animal.

The rainforest-dependent Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is threatened by unmanaged burning and grazing that is severely fragmenting and destroying the remaining forest. It is also threatened by collection for the pet trade.

The rainforest-dependent Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is threatened by unmanaged burning and grazing that is severely fragmenting and destroying the remaining forest. It is also threatened by collection for the pet trade.

The rainforest-dependent Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is threatened by unmanaged burning and grazing that is severely fragmenting and destroying the remaining forest. It is also threatened by collection for the pet trade.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko appears to be nocturnal. On surveys, all individuals have been found at night, activity beginning soon after dark. Leaf-tailed geckos tend to be nocturnal hunters, most actively searching the forest for food under the cover of night.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s population is considered severely fragmented.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is terrestrial.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is the most northerly member of the genus Phyllurus.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko has no recognized subspecies.

They are inferred to mate at least until autumn.

The digits are strongly banded. The inner anterior digit has only slightly reduced pigment.

An analysis of 729 bp of mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b genes reveals the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko to be a deeply divergent lineage with closer affinities to mid-east Queensland congeners than the geographically neighboring Mount Elliot leaf-tailed gecko (Phyllurus amnicola) on Mount Elliot.

Extensive surveys in the southern Paluma Range of northeast Queensland has now identified six subpopulations, which are isolated from one another, all in the south Paluma Range west of Townsville. Most of the six localities are distant from one another and exhibit a degree of genetic divergence from one another.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko was named after the Paluma Range, “Gulbaru”. The epithet is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Of 12 individuals, six male, five female, and one juvenile, encountered over two nights by a surveying team in 2003, 75% had regenerated tails. This is a similar proportion to that seen in the Mount Elliot leaf-tailed gecko (Phyllurus amnicola).

Four gravid females encountered on December 3, 2001 each contained two shelled eggs. One female was collected and laid two oval-shaped eggs in captivity two weeks later.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko inhabits subtropical/tropical moist lowland forests.

A group of Gulbaru leaf-tailed geckos is called a lounge.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko inhabits seasonal/intermittent/irregular wetlands, such as rivers, streams, and creeks.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is not currently found in trade.

There are small tubercles on the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko’s body with larger tubercles on the base and sides of the tail. The very small spinose body tubercles of the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko are in marked contrast to the large spinose body scales of the ringed thin-tail gecko Phyllurus caudiannulatus.

There are 6-7 scales along the dorsal margin of the rostral shield.

The bulk of this lizard’s diet is primarily comprised of insects. They also hunt a number of other invertebrates along with the odd small rodents or reptile should it get the chance.

The southernmost locality, which exhibits the lowest density and highest genetic divergence, is also likely to be at risk from fire.

The Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko is solitary.

This gecko is endemic to Patterson Gorge in the extreme southern Paluma Range of northeast Queensland, Australia, 37 kilometers northwest of Townsville. Individuals have been collected at Palm Tree Creek (19°20′S, 146°28′E) and on an unnamed tributary of Black River (19°17′S, 146°29′E).

Females store sperm through the winter.

The original tail is dorsally grey, marked with irregular dark blotches showing some alignment along the mid-line. There are eight cream bands on the tail, but the second and fourth are poorly defined. Only the four bands on the attenuated portion extend to the ventral surface. The distal knob is white, ventrally cream, and peppered with brown specks. The regenerated tail lacks the cream bands, is dorsally grey, and mottled with irregular dark blotches. The ventral surface is similar, but with reduced pigmentation. There is a pair of large, dark and white blotches immediately anterior to the tail base.

The possession of a cylindrical, non-depressed, tapering original and regenerated tail separates the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko from all congeners except the ringed thin-tail gecko Phyllurus caudiannulatus and the Oakview leaf-tailed gecko Phyllurus kabikabi.

The possession of a cylindrical, non-depressed, tapering original and regenerated tail separates the Gulbaru leaf-tailed gecko from all congeners except the ringed thin-tail gecko Phyllurus caudiannulatus and the Oakview leaf-tailed gecko Phyllurus kabikabi.