Christinus marmoratus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Christinus marmoratus, also known as marbled gecko or southern marbled gecko, is a species of Gekkonidae (gecko) native to southern mainland of Australia, from Victoria to Western Australia. The species is well adapted to a variety of habitats, including city dwellings.
The species was first formally described by John Edward Gray in 1845. The name he gave placed this group in the genus Diplodactylus as Diplodactylus marmoratus. Gray's description was based on four specimens that were preserved in spirits. They were collected on the Abrolhos Islands (off Western Australia), and were donated to the British Museum from the collection of a "Mr. Gilbert". Gray examined another preserved specimen of D. marmoratus (from a different donor) which was discoloured, leading him to mistakenly describe it as a separate species (Goniodactylus australis) in the same publication. In 1885, George Boulenger placed D. marmoratus in the genus Phyllodactylus (the leaf-toed geckos). It remained in that genus until 1984, when a revision by Wells and Wellington placed it in the genus Christinus.
A study conducted by King in 1977 showed that C. marmoratus exhibits considerable geographic variation... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Flinders Chase | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Flinders Ranges National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Melbourne, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Marbled Gecko sighting in Melbourne on a given day, based on 932 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 23 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Marbled Gecko in Melbourne on a given day, against about 10% in July, the lowest month.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Marbled Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 3 cities where we can rate Marbled Gecko sightings, Melbourne ranks 2nd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Perth (Australia, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Marbled Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Melbourne (932 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
