Giant Rodrigues Night Gecko (Nactus sp.)
This is one of two species of the genus that formerly inhabited the island of Rodrigues in the Mascarene Islands.
The species disappeared shortly after the arrival of the first human settlers in the early 16th century. [1]
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References:
[1] Anthony Cheke; Julian P. Hume: Lost Land of the Dodo: The ecological history of Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues. Yale University Press 2008
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edited: 04.05.2022
Hidden Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus celatus)
The Hidden Bent-toed Gecko was described in 2014 on the basis of a single female specimen that was found in 1924 in the village of Tjamplong in West Timor, Indonesia.
The species reached a size of about 7.6 cm (including the tail); it can be distinguished from congeneric species from the same general geographical region by its smaller size and by a variety of pholidotic characteristics.
When the species was described, its type locality was described as a woodland with numerous small streams; unfortunately, the same region today is a barren habitat in which the native forest appears to have been removed and replaced by rice paddies and human habitations. [1]
Hidden Bent-toed Gecko is now most likely extinct.
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References:
[1] Andrew Kathriner; Aaron M. Bauer; Mark O’Shea; Caitlin Sanchez; Hinrich Kaiser: Hiding in plain sight: a new species of bent-toed gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from West Timor, collected by Malcolm Smith in 1924. Zootaxa 3900(4): 555-568. 2014
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edited: 15.02.2024
Aldabra Fish-scale Gecko (Geckolepis sp.)
The fish-scale geckos inhabit Madagascar and the Comoro Islands; the former occurrence of the genus on the Aldabra Atoll is proven by the existence of fossil remains that were recovered from deposits on Grande Terre, the largest island of the atoll.
The Aldabran form was apparently larger than any of its living congeners, reaching lengths of about 20 cm (including the tail).
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The species seems to have disappeared sometimes during the Pleistocene/Holocene border.
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References:
[1] E. N. Arnold: Fossil reptiles from Aldabra atoll, Indian Ocean. bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Zoology 29(2): 83-116. 1976
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edited: 02.03.2024
Lost Aldabra Day Gecko (Phelsuma sp.)
The Aldabra Atoll still harbors at least one endemic form of this genus, the Aldabra Day Gecko (Phelsuma abbotti ssp. abbotti Stejneger).
“Although the bones could not be precisely matched with any of the many West Indian Ocean and Ethiopian geckoes compared with them, they do have a general resemblance to the smaller species of Phelsuma. However, none of the members of this genus examined have the mental foramina placed so close to the upper margin of the dentary. This feature and the very restricted taper of the cylindrical body of the bone distinguish the fossils from P. abbotti, which is now present on Aldabra.” [1]
The species might have reached a length of about 10 cm (including the tail).
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This species disappeared around the Pleistocene/Holocene border.
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References:
[1] E. N. Arnold: Fossil reptiles from Aldabra atoll, Indian Ocean. bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Zoology 29(2): 83-116. 1976
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edited: 02.03.2024
Aldabra Ground Gecko (Paroedura sp.)
The former existence of a member of this genus, otherwise known from Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, on the Aldabra Atoll is proven by numerous fossil bones that were found on Grande Terre, the largest of the atoll’s islands.
The species might have grown to a size of about 12 cm (including the tail)
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The Aldabra Ground Gecko obviously disappeared around the Pleistovene/Holocene border.
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References:
[1] E. N. Arnold: Fossil reptiles from Aldabra atoll, Indian Ocean. bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Zoology 29(2): 83-116. 1976
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edited: 02.03.2024
The Small Rodrigues Night Gecko is one of two species of its genus that were endemic to the island of Rodrigues in the Mascarene Islands.
The species is known exclusively from subfossil remains and has not yet been described. [1]
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References:
[1] Anthony Cheke; Julian P. Hume: Lost Land of the Dodo: The ecological history of Mauritius, Réunion, and Redrigues. Yale University Press 2008
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edited: 04.05.2022
The Reunion Night Gecko was described in 2008 based on subfossil remains that were recovered from deposits of the Grotte au Sable in Saint-Paul, the second-largest commune of Réunion.
In life, the species might have reached a size of around 9 cm (including the tail); it was nocturnal and very likely rather inconspicuously colored. [1]
The Reunion Night Gecko was among the first species that died out shortly after the Mascarene Islands were discovered by European seafarers in the early 16th century, who also introduced rats to the islands, which then ate their way through the island faunas. [2]
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References:
[1] E. Nicholas Arnold; Roger Bour: A new Nactus gecko (Gekkonidae) and a new Leiolopisma skin (Scincidae) from La Réunion, Indian Ocean, based on recent fossil remains and ancient DNA sequence. Zootaxa 1705: 40-50. 2008
[2] Anthony Cheke; Julian P. Hume: Lost Land of the Dodo: The ecological history of Mauritius, Réunion, and Redrigues. Yale University Press 2008
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edited: 04.05.2022