Gekko vertebralis

Gekko vertebralis (Gekko vertebralis) is a Ryukyu gecko described in 2008. Adult males lack distinct preanal pores, a character shared with Tawa Gecko and Gekko shibatai, but it differs from Tawa Gecko by possessing enlarged dorsal tubercles. These technical characters are more reliable than an unsourced general colour description for separating closely related Japanese Gekko. Identification should use the full combination of documented structure, pattern and locality because closely related island forms may overlap in general appearance (Wikipedia, general species account; Reptile Database).

The species is endemic to Japan's Ryukyu Archipelago, with the type locality on Kodakarajima in the Tokara Group. It lays eggs. The available species accounts document its restricted distribution, reproductive mode and diagnostic morphology but do not provide enough accessible species-level evidence for diet, activity period or detailed habitat, so those subjects are intentionally omitted. The description stays within species-level information available from the opened accounts; traits not documented there are omitted rather than transferred from related lizards (Wikipedia, general species account; Reptile Database).