Southern Rock Dtella
S18, Gravid Female, dorsal
Southern Rock Dtella
S5, profile
Animals
Plants
Info
| Southern Rock Dtella S18, Gravid Female, dorsal | | Southern Rock Dtella S5, profile | | ||
Animals Plants Info |
 | Class: | Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Reptiles (Reptilia) | ||||||||||||||
| Order: | Scaled Reptiles (Squamata) | |||||||||||||||
| Family: | Gecko (Gekkota:Gekkonidae) iNaturalist Observation | |||||||||||||||
| Species: | Southern Rock Dtella (Gehyra lazelli)| This Photo: | 🔍S2, profile🔎 | Other name: | Tree Dtella | Thank you Yingyod Lapwong for confirming the id of this species for us General Species Information: Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere 5 fingers & 5 toes. Of those we've measured, they were between ~43mm to ~55mm SVL; we just found a juvenile (S19) @ ~25mm SVL. Notice the unusual toes for Gehyra. They appear to have "suction pads" AND still one claw in the middle of each toe. These "suction pads" are actually lots of tiny hairs that are grippy and allow them to walk on smooth surfaces. Only 4 toes, of 5, have a claw (on each foot/hand) The individual can choose to drop it's tail if it feels in danger. The tail wriggles actively taking the predators attention while the gecko slips away. There are no vital organs in the tail, but it is used as a fuel store to help survive over winter. As such a lost tail at the end of the season could still be fatal if it can't replenish it's fuel store. Notice S13 has a divided/split/double tail. This only ever occurrs when the tail has been dropped and regrown. This is evident by the different colour/pattern of the tail. Skinks can also drop their tails if needed. Occasionally a gecko or skink is found with multiple tails (like S13 here). (JustAnExplorer) said "It typically happens when the tail is not completely dropped so a new one grows around it, giving it that forked look". Matt Campbell followed this up with "I've found skinks with 3 'tails' and I once saw a photo of one with 7! As mentioned above, it's where the fracture plane doesn't break the entire way across, so the original tail stays while a regen one grows out of the split." The 2025 South Australian Museum Gecko Key shows maps of Gehyra versicolor being only 20-30kms North of us; it's range starting around Blanchetown. They are very similar and can be separated by the white markings. We found a juvenile yesterday whose "white" markings were quite dark, so would be difficult to id to species if not for their range/location.
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