Cyrtodactylus elok (Malaysia Bent-toed Gecko)
The common name of this Gecko Lizard in English is commonly called Malaysia Bent-toed Gecko, Malaysia Bow-fingered Gecko, White-eyed Forest Gecko, Beautiful Bent-toed Gecko and Thai name called ตุ๊กกายหางม้วนบาลา (Tukgai Haang Muuan Bala), ตุ๊กแกป่าหางม้วนบาลา (Tukgae-pa Haang Muuan Bala)
ตุ๊กกายหางม้วนบาลา : Cyrtodactylus elok Dring, 1979
Cyrtodactylus elok is a species of the Bent-toed Gecko Genus (Cyrtodactylus) within the Gecko Lizard Family (Gekkonidae), Superfamily Gekkota, in the Lizard and Snake Order (Squamata), in the Reptile Class (Reptilia), in the Chordate Phylum (Chordata) in the Animal Kingdom (Animalia).
Published in Dring J C M. Amphibians and reptiles from northern Trengganu, Malaysia, with descriptions of two new geckos: Cnemaspis and Cyrtodactylus. Bulletin of the British Museum (NATURAL HISTORY) ZOOLOGY 34 (5): 181-241. (1979).
Geographic Range
This species, which is endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, occurs in the lower regions of Gunung Lawit, Terengganu; the Batu Papan Forest Reserve, Kelantan; Sungai Sedim, Kedah: Gunung Benom; the Lakum Forest Reserve in the Cameron Highlands and Fraser´s Hill, Pahang; and Gunung Besar Hantu, Negeri Sembilan (Grismer 2011).
It most likely has a wider distribution in the more northerly lowland areas of the Banjaran Titiwangsa and similar habitats throughout the Banjaran Timur (Grismer 2008, Grismer 2011).
Habitat and Ecology
This arboreal species has been found in lowland and hill dipterocarp forest in hilly terrain, between approximately 100 to 800 m asl (Grismer 2011). Hatchlings and gravid females have been observed during March in Negeri Sembilan (Grismer 2011).
Its cryptic color pattern and prehensile tail led Grimser (2008) to hypothesize that this species probably takes refuge within cracks on the tree trunks and within tree holes.
Type locality: “base camp of the Gunung Benom expedition (215 m elevation)”, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia.
Synonyms
- Cyrtodactylus elok Julian Christopher Mark Dring (1979)
- Cyrtodactylus (Cyrtodactylus) elok Herbert Rösler (2000)
- Cyrtodactylus elok Larry Lee Grismer (2005)
- Cyrtodactylus elok Larry Lee Grismer (2011)
- Cyrtodactylus elok Grismer & Quah 2019