Conrad Hoskins discovered the new species which he called,’’ Little Dragon’’ on rugged Queensland Island. It has a spiny leaf-shaped tail and a beaky face. The lizard was found on Scawfell island 50 km offshore from the city of Mackay.
Assoc. Professor Conrad Hoskin is a terrestrial ecologist at Cook University. He surveyed the Island in search of some discovery. During the four-day survey, he came across the little creature. He is super excited about his discovery. He believes it’s every biologist’s dream to find a new species. Hoskin named the lizard ‘’Physllurus Fimbriatur, the Scawfell Island leaf-tailed gecko.
Additionally, Physllurus Fimbriatur is about 15 cm in length from nose to tail. A paper published in the journal mentioned the measurement of the species.
Talking to The Guardian, Hoskin said, ‘’ Leaf-tailed geckoes look like mottled rock but they have little white stripes on their tail- this one has a white V-shaped stripe.’’
The lizard needs good shelter both from the heat
“It’s quite smooth for a leaf-tail – they’re usually much more spiky. It’s really distinct … pattern and a nice big beaky face,” Talking about the discovery Hoskin said that it’s only found in the wettest, rainforest, rockiest pockets of Scawfell. Also, the lizard needs good shelter both from the heat and the dry. The little creature can’t handle the heat in most parts of the island.
He adds, “Australia’s pretty well explored, so it’s exciting when we get an instantly obviously new big creature – like a lizard or a frog or a bird – discovered in this day and age,”
Scawfell Island is part of the South Cumberland Islands national park. However, the species on the island face risks from fire and invasive species. Hoskin discovered several Asian house geckos on the island.
Campers may have unknowingly brought them over by boat. As Asian house geckos can outcompete native geckos and become a problem. This is a known issue around Townsville where they can multiply quickly.
