Common Name
Pacific gecko
Scientific Name
Dactylocnemis pacificus
Etymology
The second species of New Zealand gecko to be described (Gray 1842). The scientific name may either mean 'peaceful' or the species' occurance in the "South Sea Islands" (type locality data from Gray 1842). This species has almost always been known as Hoplodactylus pacificus. However many other taxa, particularly geckos of the H. maculatus species-complex (now Woodworthia), including H. chrysosireticus (W. chrysosireticus) and H. stephensi (=Toropuku stephensi) and even the distinctive H. duvaucelii and H. granulatus (=Mokopirirakau granulatus) have been included under the same name throughout its history (Hitchmough 1997).
Description
A medium, slender gecko (60-80 mm SVL, total length 170 mm, 7-18 g, mean 7.4 g, Towns 1991). Dorsal surface brown, grey or olive with highly variable bands, blotches, chevrons or stripes. V-shaped marking on top of head between eyes, diffuse pale stripe from eye-to-ear, diffuse denticulate markings on lips. Sometimes with a bright mustard-yellow patch across nape, and additional blotches of the same colour may occur along the body and tail. Occasionally with pink or orange shadings. Ventral surface uniform. Mouth lining and tongue pink. Eye brown. Snout-to-eye distance distinctly greater than eye-to-ear distance, indicating this species has a slightly longer, shallower snout than species in the Woodworthia genera, especially W. maculatus. Size between 65-80mm SVL. Rostral in contact with nostril. Toes have extended pads, but are more slender with narrower distal phalange. Upper labial scales 9-16, lower labial scales 8-14, pointed cloacal spurs in series of 3-4, precloacal pores do not extend onto limbs, lamellae 10-16. Tail robust, often regrown (Hitchmough 1997, R. Hitchmough pers. comm. in Jewell 2008).
Photo and information from Landcare Research’s NZ Lizards Database.
SVL = Snout-to-Vent Length. A convention in describing the length of lizards is to measure from the tip of the snout to the vent, the opening through which the animal defecates. The vent is at the base of the tail, and thus the tail is not included in the length.
Logging Etiquette. To log a cache as per Geocaching.com’s Geocaching 101, under the LEARN tab, means that the logbook has to be signed. See step 7 of ‘How is the game is played?’ and Rule 2 of ‘What are the rules of geocaching?’. This does not mean leaving little scraps of paper, calling cards or stickers, etc, as a means of signing and these will be removed if found in the cache. If you have not signed the logbook your log will be deleted without any further warning.
The cache is a 200ml Sistema.