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An Early Eocene gecko from Baltic amber and its implications for the evolution of gecko adhesion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2005

Aaron M. Bauer ,
Wolfgang Böhme  and
Wolfgang Weitschat
Aaron M. Bauer
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Villanova University, 800 Lancaster Avenue, Villanova, PA 19085, U.S.A.
Wolfgang Böhme
Affiliation:
Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenauerallee 160, D-53113 Bonn, Germany
Wolfgang Weitschat
Affiliation:
Geologisch-Paläontologisches Institut und Museum der Universität Hamburg, Bundesstrasse 55, D-20146 Hamburg, Germany

Abstract

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A new genus and species of gecko from the Lower Eocene of north-western Russia is described from a superbly preserved specimen in Baltic amber. It is the oldest gekkonid lizard to be represented by more than fragmentary skeletal remains. The digits of the specimen are mostly intact and reveal a unique combination of characters not seen in any living form. Expanded sub-digital scansors on the toes, however, are essentially similar to those of modern climbing geckos and verify the existence of a complex adhesive system 20–30 million years earlier than supported by previously discovered fossil geckos.

Keywords

YantarogekkoGekkonidaeEarly Eoceneambersub-digital scansors
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Zoology , Volume 265 , Issue 4 , April 2005 , pp. 327 - 332
Copyright
2005 The Zoological Society of London