A significant range extension for the northern Australian gecko Strophurus taeniatus

The distribution and habitat associations of many northern Australian fauna are still poorly known. Predicted distributions in field guides often rely on museum collections coupled with an assessment of biogeographic and bioregional affiliations (Wilson 2005). In north-eastern Queensland, regions such as the Gulf Plains and Mitchell Grass Downs are thought to be significant barriers between eastern and western fauna species and subspecies (Schodde and Mason 1999). However there is a steady smattering of records of arid and inland species occurring much further east than anticipated (Kutt 2003). In this short note we report another bridging of this Mitchell Grass/Gulf Plain divide; in this case the known range of the gecko Strophurus taeniatus is extended east by 360 km into the edge of the Einasleigh Uplands bioregion.