Northern Pilbara beak-faced gecko

Morphology

The species is distinguished from its close relative, D. savagei by the presence of many irregular pale spots. In D. savagei these splotches are quite large and form transverse bars, whereas in D. galaxias they do not.

Evolution

This species was initially discovered through DNA sequence analysis, when it was found to be distinct from D. savagei using DNA sequence data. Many new species of gecko are being discovered using this technique, and then further morphological analysis is done to identify morphological differences. Interestingly, in the same analysis that identified that D. savagei was also comprised of two deeply divergent clades, however morphological characters could not be found that could be used to distinguish them.

Habitat

Terrestrial

Associated with rocky habitats, such as outcrops and stony hills.

Distribution

North-western Pilbara.