Cyrtodactylus pulchellus Gray, 1827

Figueroa, Alex, Low, Martyn E. Y. & Lim, Kelvin K. P., 2023, Singapore’s herpetofauna: updated and annotated checklist, history, conservation, and distribution, Zootaxa 5287 (1), pp. 1-378 : 262

Cyrtodactylus pulchellus Gray, 1827 — Erroneous.

Penang Island Bent-toed Gecko

Singapore records.

Gymnodactylus pulchellus — Cantor, 1847a: 632.— Cantor, 1847c: 1068, 1074, 1075.— Ģnther, 1864: xiv, 113.—Theobald, 1868b: 31.—Theobald, 1876: 228.— Boulenger, 1885: 47.— Flower, 1896: 863.— Flower, 1899: 614, 626.— Boulenger, 1912: 37.—Sworder, 1925a: 63.

Cyrtodactylus pulchellus — Gray, 1845: xi, 173.—Taylor, 1963: 714, 718.—K.K.P. Lim & L.M. Chou, 1990: 55.— Denzer & Manthey, 1991: 314.—K.K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 1992: 150.—L.M. Chou et al., 1994: 105.— Manthey & Grossmann, 1997: 226.— Cox et al., 1998: 86.—Chan-ard et al., 1999: 24.—K.P. Lim & F.L.K. Lim, 2002: 150.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2008: 168.— Das, 2010: 213.—N. Baker & K.P. Lim, 2012: 168.—N. Baker, 2014f: 332.—Chan-ard et al., 2015: 54.

Remarks. Gray (1827) first described this genus and species from specimens obtained by Hardwicke, and appointed it the type locality “ India ”. In providing a more detailed description of the genus and species, Gray assigned the locality as Penang ( Hardwicke & Gray 1827), but at a later date changed the type locality again to Singapore ( Gray 1845) ( Table 1 ). Boulenger (1885) presented four specimens of C. pulchellus from Singapore at NHMUK, two syntypes from Hardwicke, and two specimens collected by Cantor. In their examination of the C. pulchellus complex, Grismer et al. (2012) showed that C. pulchellus is restricted and endemic to Penang Island. Grismer et al. (2012) also examined photos of one of the syntypes, BM XXII.91. a, and concluded that it matches C. pulchellus . Thus, they reverted the type locality back to Penang ( Grismer et al. 2012). No specimens of the C. pulchellus complex were ever found from Singapore, and subsequent papers either refer to Gray (1845) or to the specimens at the NHMUK when including Singapore as part of the distribution for C. pulchellus . Lim & Chou (1990) first considered the presence of C. pulchellus in Singapore doubtful.

LKCNHM & NHMUK Museum specimens. Singapore (no locality): BMNH (no #) (no date), BMNH XXII.91. a (no date) [syntype], BMNH XXii.91.b (no date) [syntype], BMNH 1860.3.19.1030 (no date).

Additional Singapore museum specimens. No specimens.