<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/03/like-a-little-dragon-new-gecko-species-discovered-on-rugged-queensland-island>
"A new species of gecko that “looks like a little dragon”, with a beaky face
and spiny leaf-shaped tail, has been discovered on an uninhabited Queensland
island.
The lizard was found on Scawfell Island, a rugged island about 50km offshore
from the north Queensland city of Mackay.
Assoc Prof Conrad Hoskin, a terrestrial ecologist at James Cook University,
came across the lizard during a four-day survey of the island, in “deep
bouldery habitat covered in fig trees and ferns”.
“It’s super exciting – it’s every biologist’s dream to find a new species,” he
said.
Hoskin has named the animal
Phyllurus fimbriatus, the Scawfell Island
leaf-tailed gecko, with its scientific name referring to the fringe of spines
around the lizard’s tail.
The carnivorous reptile, described in a paper published in the journal
Zootaxa, measures about 15cm in length from nose to tail."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
