MORPHOLOGY OF THE ADHESIVE TAIL TIPS OF CARPHODACTYLINE GECKOS (REPTILIA, DIPLODACTYLIDAE)

Members of the carphodactyline gekkonoid genera Naultinus, Hoplodactyl us, Bavayia, Eurydactylodes, Rhacodactylus, and Pseudothecadactylus po ssess tails that are both prehensile and adhesive. In New Caledonian a nd Australian species of this group, the adhesive apparatus forms a di screte and grossly observable scansorial pad. The caudal scansorial sy stem appears to show a phylogenetic trend towards increasing complexit y The caudal scansors closely parallel the subdigital scansors in surf ace morphology and bear branched setae and mechanoreceptive sensillae. Internal morphology also resembles that of the toe, although a tendin ous system is absent and the mechanism of pressurization of the vascul ar network of the tail tip remains unclear. Despite obvious difference s in basic organization of tails and toes, the caudal and digital scan sors in these taxa appear co be iterative homologues of one another. ( C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.