Zoology,'] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. {Reptiles. 



Plate 132, Fig. 2. 



DIPLODACTYLUS MARMORATUS (Gray). 



The Marbled Gecko. 



[Genus DIPLODACTYLUS (Gray). (Sub-kingdom Vertebrata. Class Reptilia. Order 

 Sauria. Sub-order Pachyglossa?. Tribe Nyctisaura. Family Geckotidas.) 



Gen. Char. — Head, body, and tail moderately elongate, rounded, depressed ; tail conical or 

 fusiform, round in section ; scales of body and tail small, similar, and alike above and below. 

 Toes all with claws, linear, dilated and truncated at the tip, which is formed of the penultimate 

 joint ; last joint small, inflexed in a notch between the dilated pads ; under-side of each toe 

 with one row of broad, transverse plates, ending with a pair of large, convex, oval, thick plates 

 on the dilated tip, rounded at the distal end ; hind toe of hind foot versatile. Tongue thick, 

 short, convex, slightly notched at tip. Eyes with vertical, narrow, linear pupil ; eye-lids 

 circular, not connivent.] 



Description. — Form: Head sub-pentagonal, depressed, covered with very 

 small, sub-equal, rounded, granular scales ; rostral plate large, pentagonal, with 3 

 plates arching from the upper side round to the first labial enclosing the nostril, 

 which touches the first labial and upper lateral angle of the rostral plate. Eight 

 gradually diminishing upper labials. Lower rostral plate quadrate, small, little larger 

 than the labials, which are 8 or 9 in number, gradually diminishing from the front. 

 Ear, a small, simple, round aperture. Eye, surrounded with a circle of small 

 granules. Hand, with the fingers gradually enlarging to the fourth, which is 

 longest; fifth nearly equals the second; each with a small claw hid in the notch 

 between the dilated pair of scales, forming the tip, covered above with several 

 rows of small scales, the last two or three increased in size ; on the under-side 

 each toe has a row of transverse plates along the -middle, with two abruptly larger, 

 quadrate, porous ones at the tip. Hind foot resembling the anterior, but larger, 

 and having' the outer or hind toe versatile or standing- at right angles to the others. 

 Whole body and tail, above and below, covered with nearly equal and similar, 

 rhombic, granular scales. Tongue broad, thick, flat, granular, with a small notch 

 in front. Tail nearly circular in section, slightly fusiform, perceptibly narrower at 

 base than at one-third its length farther towards tne tip. Color: Very pale purplish- 

 brown above, marbled from top of head over back of body and tail, and crossed at 

 intervals of about a quarter of an inch with very irregular, narrow, scribbled, or 

 vermiculate darker marks irregularly undulated, and joined in imperfect, looped,, 

 and angulated patterns, often with a median row of obscure,- paler, oblong, or 

 irregular angular spots ; pale, ashy, or purplish, livid-whitish below. Iris bright 

 brown-bronze, with black irregular streaks. Inside of mouth and tongue dull yellow. 

 Total length of average individual, 4 ins. 7 lines. Proportional measurements, 

 (referred to length as 100) : Length of head, y^-; length of gape, which reaches to 

 middle of eye, T 6 ^ ; diameter of eye, -yfo-; snout to ear, y^ ; neck, y|o 5 f rom 

 snout to shoulder, y 5 ^- ; fore-arm, y-Jf^ ; elbow to wrist, T ^ 7 ; longest (fourth) 

 toe, T f ^ ; front of shoulder to front of thigh, -f^s '■> length of thigh, t ^q- ; knee to 

 ancle, T f^ ; longest (fourth) toe, yyj-o; snout to base of tail, t^Vj length of tail, 

 tVo 5 greatest width of head, yVo ; greatest width of body, y^ ; width of base of 

 tail, y^-g- ; width of tail at one-third of length from base, r ^. Number of scales 

 about middle of back in three lines, 20. 



Reference. — Gray, Zool. Er. & Ter., t. 15, f. 6, Cat. B. M., Lizards, p. 149. 



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