| Carphodactylidae | |
|---|---|
_(8636512143).jpg) | |
| Barking gecko (Underwoodisaurus milii) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Infraorder: | Gekkota |
| Superfamily: | Pygopodoidea |
| Family: | Carphodactylidae Kluge, 1967 |
| Genera | |
Seven, see text. | |
TheCarphodactylidae, informally known as thesouthern padless geckos,[1] are afamily ofgeckos,lizards in theinfraorderGekkota. The family consists of 34 describedspecies in 7genera, all of which areendemic toAustralia. They belong to the superfamilyPygopodoidea (or Diplodactyloidea), an ancient group of eastGondwanan geckos now only found inAustralasia. Despite their well-developed limbs,molecular phylogenies have demonstrated that Carphodactylidae is thesister group toPygopodidae, a highly specialized family of legless lizards.[2][3]
Carphodactylids, despite being the most species-poor family of geckos, are still diverse in habits. Many have unusual, specialized tails with reduced rates ofautotomy. They lack adhesive toepads and instead cling to bark or substrate with sharply curved claws and a limited array oflamellae. Carphodactylids are relatively large by gecko standards; most arenocturnal and all areoviparous, with a typical clutch size of two eggs. Unlike most Australian geckos, species diversity is concentrated in humid forests along the northeastern edge of Australia. Nevertheless, some genera are diverse in arid regions as well.[2][4][1][3][5]
The followinggenera are considered members of the Carphodactylidae:[6][2][7]
| Genus | Image | Type species | Taxon author | Common name | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carphodactylus |  C. laevis | C. laevisGünther, 1897 | Günther, 1897 | Chameleon gecko | 1 |
| Nephrurus | _(8656883171).jpg) N. laevissimus | N. asperGünther, 1876 | Günther, 1876 | Knob-tailed geckos | 11 |
| Orraya | O. occultus(Couper,Covacevich &Moritz, 1993) | Couper, Covacevich,Schneider &Hoskin, 2000 | Long-necked northern leaf-tailed gecko | 1 | |
| Phyllurus |  P. nepthys | P. platurus(Shaw, 1790) | Schinz, 1822 | Australian leaf-tailed geckos | 11 |
| Saltuarius | _(10021721296).jpg) S. swaini | S. cornutus(Ogilby, 1892) | Couper, Covacevich & Moritz, 1993 | Australian leaf-tailed geckos | 7 |
| Underwoodisaurus | _(9390973818).jpg) U. milii | U. milii(Bory de Saint-Vincent, 1825) | Wermuth, 1965 | Thick-tailed or barking geckos | 2 |
| Uvidicolus | U. sphyrurus(Ogilby, 1892) | Oliver &Bauer, 2011 | Border thick-tailed gecko | 1 |
Members of the family now known as Carphodactylidae were first grouped together inKluge (1967)’s reconfiguration of gecko systematics. He named atribe, Carphodactylini, which includedCarphodactylus,Nephrurus, andPhyllurus ("padless carphodactylins") as close relatives in a subgroup. The tribe also includedPseudothecadactylus and allNew Zealand andNew Caledonian geckos ("padded carphodactylins") in another subgroup. Carphodactylini was diagnosed by a large patch of preanal pores formed by multiple rows, though these pores were noted as vestigial inNephrurus and absent inPhyllurus.[8]
Under Kluge’s classification scheme, Carphodactylini was thesister group toDiplodactylini, which contained other Australian legged geckos. Both tribes formed thesubfamilyDiplodactylinae within thefamilyPygopodidae, alongside the legless lizards of the subfamilyPygopodinae. "Padless carphodactylins" (particularlyCarphodactylus) were considered the most primitive and generalized members of Carphodactylini, and by extension Diplodactylinae.[8] Amorphologicalphylogenetic analysis byBauer (1990) generally supported Kluge’s classification scheme, though the internal relationships of carphodactylin species were very different.[9]
Summary of Kluge's classification scheme:[8][9]
| Results of Bauer, 1990:[9]
|
However, themonophyly and structure of Carphodactylini (as defined by morphological traits) started to become unclear oncemolecular phylogenies were developed.King (1987) found thatNephrurus andPhyllurus apparently retained an ancestralchromosome structure, but thatCarphodactylus, "padded carphodactylins", and several species ofOedura (a supposed diplodactylin) shared a derived structure, necessitating a major revision of Kluge’s structure.[10] However, there is much debate over whether chromosomes are useful for inferring gecko systematics.[9][11][12]Donnellanet al. (1999) estimated gecko relationships usingC-mos, anuclear gene conserved throughoutsquamates. Their results considered Carphodactylini to be aparaphyletic assemblage, withRhacodactylus andPseudothecadactylus incrementally closer to diplodactylins (includingOedura).[13]
Simplified results of Donnellanet al., 1999, focusing on Australasian geckos:[13]
Carphodactylidae, in its present-day usage, was codified byHanet al. (2004). They expanded on the study of Donnellanet al. (1999), and found that Carphodactylini and Diplodactylinae, as previously used, werepolyphyletic. "Padless carphodactylins" formed a clade sister to pygopodines, while "padded carphodactylins" formed a grade of geckos basal to diplodactylins. This prompted several renames of major clades. The clade of "padless carphodactylins" was given the new family Carphodactylidae, while the familyDiplodactylidae was erected to encompass traditional diplodactylins and "padded carphodactylins". The familyPygopodidae was basically restricted to the legless pygopodines, and subsequent studies would rename the Australasian radiation toPygopodoidea or Diplodactyloidea.[6]
Simplified results of Hanet al., 2004, using new names as defined in the study:[6]
Although placing carphodactylids sister to pygopodids was an unusual result, nearly all subsequent molecular phylogenies have supported it.[2][3] Shared morphological traits are scant, but the two families both have an unusually complexsquamosal with its lower end wrapping around the rear branch of theparietal.[14]Oliver & Bauer (2011) looked into carphodactylid ingroup relationships in more depth using an analysis based onC-mos along with RAG1 (a nuclear gene) and ND2 (amitochondrial gene). They had difficulty with resolving the base of Carphodactylidae, but strongly supported the erection of a new genus,Uvidicolus.[2]Skipwithet al. (2019) found a different result while running phylogenetic analyses on 4268ultra-conserved elements (UCEs) in diplodactyloid geckos. Their analysis placedOrraya as the earliest-diverging carphodactylid, suggesting that the ancestral habit for the family may have been similar to the cryptic leaf-tailed genera (Orraya, Phyllurus, Saltuarius).[3]
Simplified results of the combined nuclear and mitochondrial analysis of Oliver & Bauer, 2011:[2] | Simplified results of Skipwithet al., 2019:[3]
|
