NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
New Caledonia Bumpy Gecko
Rhacodactylus auriculatus (Bavay, 1869)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The gargoyle gecko, knob-headed giant gecko, New Caledonia bumpy gecko, or New Caledonian bumpy gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) is a species of gecko found only on the southern end of the island of New Caledonia. Its habitat is threatened by deforestation on the island. This species of gecko is the smallest of the six recognized species in its genus where they often reach about 125 mm in size. This gecko, along with several other Rhacodactylus species are being considered for protective measures by CITES, which would put restrictions on their exportation. This gecko was first described by Bavay in 1869.
Wikipedia contributors, Gargoyle gecko; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:42:41.194511+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Rhacodactylus auriculatus (Bavay, 1869)
- Name authority
- (Bavay, 1869)
- Common name
- New Caledonia Bumpy Gecko
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Diplodactylidae
- Genus
- Rhacodactylus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderGekkota
- familyDiplodactylidae
- genusRhacodactylus
- speciesRhacodactylus auriculatus (Bavay, 1869)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Rhacodactylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Rough-snouted Giant GeckoRhacodactylus trachyrhynchus Bocage, 1873 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Rhacodactylus willihenkeli Köhler, Sameit, Seipp & Geiss, 2024 | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| New Caledonia Giant GeckoRhacodactylus leachianus (Cuvier, 1829) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Tough-snouted Giant GeckoRhacodactylus trachycephalus (Boulenger, 1878) | DiplodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Platydactylus auriculatus Bavay, 1869 Bavay, 1869 | synonym |
| Ceratolophus hexaceros Bocage, 1873 Bocage, 1873 | synonym |
| Gecko ceratolophus Boring et al., 1949 Boring et al., 1949 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Rhacodactylus&species=auriculatus Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4RX4K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.