AKT. 25 CHINESE AMPHIBIANS AND EEPTILES STEJNEGER 35 



Order SQUAMATA 



Suborder Sauria 

 Family GEKKONIDAE 



GEKKO SUBPALMATUS Guenther 



1864. Gecko suhpalmatiis Gventiif.k, Rept. Brit. India, p. 104, pi. 12, fig. B 

 (type locality, Chikiang, China; type in Brit. Mus. ; Fortune, col- 

 lector). — BouLENGEE, Cat. Liz. Brit. Mus., vol. 1, 1885, p. 189 (Chikiang) ; 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. Loudon, 1899, p. IGO (Kuatun, prov. Fukien). — Boettger, 

 Offenbach. Ver. Naturk., 24-25 Ber., 1885, p. 139 (Chikiang). 



After a careful examination of a considerable material consisting 

 of 49 specimens of Gekko from China, besides numerous ones from 

 Japan, Riukiii, Tsu-shima, and Korea, I have come to the conclusion 

 that Guenther and Boulenger were right in recognizing three dif- 

 ferent forms. The characters which separate them are very variable, 

 and it may take a combination of two or more to decide in doubtful 

 cases, but with one exception I have been able to place all the speci- 

 men before me to my entire satisfaction. The three forms are only 

 geographic subspecies, it is true, and in some intermediate localities 

 there imxj be more real intergradation than my material shows, but, 

 on the other hand, I have a strong suspicion that some of the inter- 

 gradation may be due to hybridization. These lizards are easily 

 carried about accidentally in cargoes, and the enormous extent of 

 the territory covered by the coast form, G. japonicus, from Hong- 

 kong to the Gulf of Tartary, Formosa, and Japan, is probably due 

 to such accidental dispersion. It is also significant that it is this 

 form which occurs along the Yangtse Eiver as far inland as Ichang 

 at least. It can scarcely be doubted that individuals thus carried 

 into the territory of a form so closely allied, as these geckos mani- 

 festly are, would eventually mix with it, probably resulting in 

 specimens which obscure the diagnostic character of the subspecies. 



Kev. D. C. Graham has sent five specimens of G. suhpahnatus from 

 Suifu. They are all j)ractically devoid of tubercles, and the web 

 at the base of the toes is well developed and is an easily recognized 

 character. The size and shape of the median chin shields is not so 

 reliable. In one old female, Xo. 63593, they are not differentiated 

 at all, but in the others they are well marked though considerably 

 smaller than in the average G. japonicus, and similar to those of 

 mostly, sivinhonis. 



The type locality of this form, Chikiang, is apparently also located 

 in Szechwan, and as far as I know no specimens from outside that 

 province have as yet been recorded, except the female collected by 

 La Touche in 1896 at Kuatun, province Fukien, as noted by Bou- 



