Subfamily GEKKONINAE - "True" Geckos

QUICK INDEX

T. bedriagai, Bedriagai's Skink Gecko

T. mesriensis

T. microlepis, Small-Scaled Skink Gecko

T. przewalskii, Przewalskii's Skink Gecko

T. roborowskii, Roborowskii's Skink Gecko

T. rustamowi, Rustamow's Skink Gecko

T. sistanense

T. scincus, Common Skink Gecko

T. toksunicus

Scientific Name

Common Name

Distribution

Size

Notes

T. bedriagai

Bedriaga's Skink Gecko/Wonder Gecko

E Iran, S Afghanistan

6-10"

A species that appears to still be little known. Szczerbak & Golubev note that N A Zarudny found the species on gravel soil and that it was very common in some areas. It reaches elevations of at least 4,700 ft (1,400 m). Szczerbak & Golubev also characterised it as having large dorsal scales ending at shoulder level, and 44-48 scales around midbody. Scalation details (from Szczerbak & Golubev): 10-11 supralabials; 9-10 infralabials; 31-33 scales across head; 69-90 scales along head; 93-103 scales along underside of body from 1^st pair of postmental scales to vent; 10-12 supracaudal plates; 17-21 lateral fringe scales on 4^th toe; infranasal equal to nostril diameter, always present; postmentals not distinct. Coloration: body whitish above; oblique lines on neck; four dark transverse bands on dorsum; white below. [SOURCE: Szcerbak and Golubev]

T. mesriensis

C Iran

Described in 2017. A nocturnal species found in sandy areas and mostly recorded on dunes. They leave burrows just after the sunset and are active during the entire night, with maximal activity from 9 to 11 p.m. Diagnosis. Medium sized gecko with SVL up to 93.6 mm. A member of the genus Teratoscincus based on the following combination of morphological attributes: (1) fingers and toes not flattened or laterally compressed with numerous spiny scales on lower surface; laterally fringed with enlarged elongated scales; (2) body covered with enlarged rounded imbricate “scincoid” scales, head with small tubercular scales, getting larger at snout and jaws; (3) dorsal surface of tail with nail-shaped scales, ventrally with small uniform scales; (4) precloacal or femoral pores absent (following Szczerbak and Golubev, 1986). The species can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following set of morphological characters: dorsal surface of body covered by rows of enlarged imbricate juxtaposed scales, scale rows around the body 34 – 42 and along the body 35 – 41 (vs. 29 – 37 for T. keyserlingii and 26 – 36 for T. scincus). These enlarged scales not reaching occipital region (vs. enlarged scales covering occipital region both in T. keyserlingii and T. scincus). Head large and well-defined from body, covered by small granular scales. Nostril in contact with rostral, enlarged supranasal, two large nasals and a small additional scale; first supralabial separated from nostril. Fingers and toes with fringed edges formed by large elongated triangle scales. Claws strongly compressed laterally. Small imbricate scales cover the lower surface of digits; the distal part of fingers and toes only with few transversely widened scales. Ventral scales of approximately the same size as dorsal scales. No precloacal and femoral pores. Hemipenial swellings moderate in size; a single precloacal spur on the each side at the base of tail. Tail: rounded in cross section, tail shorter than SVL (SVL:tail ratio 1.4), dorsal surface of tail covered by 11-18 enlarged nail-like scales. Coloration: adults in life with a light gray dorsal ground coloration with bright red-orange pattern. Dorsal pattern formed by indistinct longitudinal red-orange stripes, which are more distinct on the lateral sides of body, becoming interrupted and forming irregular pattern on the middle of dorsum. Dark brown pattern may be present on forelimbs and in the neck region. Dorsal surface of head light gray or yellowish occasionally with irregular reddish spots; wide interspaces between these spots make head dorsal coloration lighter than that of body. No distinct markings on limbs and tail. Young specimens with four transverse wide dark bars on dorsum; interspaces between them wider than the transverse bars (vs. dark transverse bars equal in width or wider than the interspaces between them in T. keyserlingii). Four dark transverse bars on tail in young specimens. Ventral surfaces of body and limbs white. In preservative specimens greyish-white with dark brown patterns. [SOURCE: Nazarov et al]

T. microlepis

Small-Scaled Skink Gecko

SE Iran, SW Pakistan

SVL 53-73 mm;
TL approx 8 cm

Minton, in Szcerbak & Golubev, implies that this is less irascible species than T. scincus and less easily injured, but proved difficult to feed in captivity. Scalation details: dorsal scales small, gradually turning into neck scales; about 100 scales around midbody. 10-11 supralabials, 9-10 infralabials; scales across head 48-58; scales along head 135-154; 150-188 scales along underside of body from 1^st pair of postmental scales to vent; 9-11 supracaudal plates; 22-26 lateral fringe scales on 4^th toe; 1 subnasal equal to nostril diameter may be present or absent; postmentals not distinct; 11-13 scales in contact with mental shield. Coloration: main colour yellow to light brown; around 6 dark transverse bands which may be chevron-shaped, dark brown in adults and reddish in juveniles; 5-6 dark transverse bands on tail. [SOURCE: Szcerbak and Golubev]

T. przewalskii

Przewalski's Skink Gecko

S Mongolia, China (Xinjiang, Gansu and Inner Mongolia)

SVL approx 5-9 cm

The following account is derived from Szczerbak & Golubev. A common species widely found in the deserts of Central Asia. These lizards will dig their own burrows or use rodent burrows. Note the warning that in terraria they will attack small lizards. They are also capable of climbing onto bushes up to 80 cm high. Characterised by having large dorsal scales ending at shoulder level, and 31-38 scales around midbody. Scalation details: 9-13 supralabials; 7-12 infralabials; 38-50 scales across head; 97-112 scales along head; 102-115 scales along underside of body from 1^st pair of postmental scales to vent; 8-16 supracaudal plates; 19-25 lateral crests on 4^th toe; lower nasal always single, equal to or more than nostril diameter; 1-3 (rarely 1, usually 2) pairs of postmentals. Coloration: adults mainly grey-ochre, juveniles yellowish-ochre; front of body lighter; wide transverse brown stripes on body, blacker and sharper in juveniles, barely visible in adults, 5-6 on dorsum, 5 on tail, faded on flanks; arch-shaped dark brown stripe on neck; several dark spots on occiput and on labials; thighs brownish-ochre with indistinct spotting; whitish or yellowish below, except for brownish tail. [SOURCE: Szcerbak and Golubev]

T. roborowskii

Roborowski's Skink Gecko?

China (Xinjiang)

?"

Previously synonymised with other members of the genus: see Reptile Database entry. Sczerbak and Golubev did not consider this a valid subspecies, nor the subspecies T. zarudnyi.

T. rustamowi

Rustamow's Skink Gecko

Uzbekistan (Phergan Valley) 

Scalation: if subnasal present between 1st supralabial and naris then diameter is half or less the diameter of the naris: scales across head 30-40. Dorsal: 28-33 scales across midbody. Coloration: as per T. s. scincus. [SOURCE: Szczerbak & Golubev]

T. scincus

Common Skink Gecko

SW & C Asia, China, E Arabian peninsula

TL approx 12.5 cm

Description: Head large, high; snout obtuse, slightly longer than the diameter of the orbit or the distance between the eye and the ear-opening; eye large; ear-opening large, elliptic, oblique, three fifths the diameter of the eye. Body depressed. Limbs moderate; toes rather long. Scales of body large, cycloid, smooth, imbricate, largest on the abdomen, of limbs smaller. Scalation: head covered with small granules, largest on the snout; rostral quadrangular, broader than high, with median cleft above; nostril pierced between the rostral and three nasals; diameter of 1-2 subnasals together is more than half the diameter of the naris: 8-13 supralabials: 8-12 infralabials: 0-3 (usually 1-2) subnasal shields: mental quadrangular, a little longer than the adjacent labials; no regular chin-shields. 2 (sometimes 1, rarely 3) pairs of postmentals: 29-45 scales across head: 50-80 scales along the head. Dorsal: large dorsal scales end at the level of the neck: 26-33 dorsal scale rows around midbody. Ventral: 84-113 transverse rows. Other: 9-19 supracaudals; 20-30 subdigital lamellae. Tail: round at the base, compressed in its posterior half, covered inferiorly and laterally with scales similar to those of the body, above with a series of large, transverse, nail-like plates. Coloration: cream-coloured above, with traces of the brown transverse bands which are distinct in the young; lower surfaces white. [SOURCES: Boulenger, Szczerbak & Golubev]

T. s. scincus

China (Xinjiang): Caspian Sea to SE Kazakhstan, S/SE of Lake Balkhash.

Intergrades with T. s. rustamowi in S Tadjikstan. Scalation: 1 or more additional subnasal scales between 1st supralabial and naris: diameter of 1-2 subnasals together is more than half the diameter of the naris: 29-45 scales across head. Dorsal: large dorsal scales end at the level of the neck: 26-33 dorsal scale rows around midbody. Ventral: 84-113 transverse rows.  Coloration: overall greyish lemon-yellow: head has grey-brown spots, sometimes with a violet tint, and stripes forming an irregular spotted pattern that encroaches on the throat. 7-8 dark transverse bands run from neck to tail. Thin dark lateral line runs from shoulders to base of hindlimbs. All body scales, especially those in the area of spots and stripes, are edged on their "free" side with white; some scales are centrally dark with a lilac-reddish or ochre edge: tail is dorsally black and ventrally dark, with each "fingernail"-shaped plated piped in white along its "free" edge: no pattern on limbs: ventrally white, with the throat white but with a shade of lemon and the inner surfaces of the pads pinkish. [SOURCE: Szczerbak & Golubev]

T. s. keyzerlingii

Keyzerling's Skink Gecko

C & SW Iran, W Afghanistan, NW Pakistan, E Arabia

Scalation: 1 or more additional subnasal scales between 1st supralabial and naris: diameter of 1-2 subnasals together is more than half the diameter of the naris: scales across head 39-46. Dorsal: 31-35 scales across midbody. Coloration: dorsally yellow, orange and different shades of brown, alternating with light grey blotches: 2 wide longitudinal stripes usually present on body but not extending on to the tail, which lacks a distinct pattern: sides and belly light pink to white. Juveniles are dark yellow to light orange, with 4-5 sooty black transverse bands on both body and tail. [SOURCE: Szczerbak & Golubev]

T. s. rustamowi

Confirmed as a full species in 2017 by Nazarov et al: see full species entry above.

T. sistanense

SE Iran

See Reptile Database entry.

T. toksunicus

China 

Status unclear: see Reptile Database entry.