Abstract

The karotypes of six species of New Caledonian gekkos from the genera Rhacodactylus and Bavayia are described. The chromosomes of R. auriculatus, R. sarasinorum and B. sauvagei share a highly derived biarmed 2n=38 karyomorph, which is common to species from both New Zealand and Australia and is believed to be a relic from a previous Gondwanaland distribution. In contrast, R. leachianus, B. crassicollis and B. montana have karyotypes further modified from this karyomorph by a series of presumed pericentric inversions. This chromosomal repatterning appears to have been associated with the speciation of this complex. A chromosomal perspective on Kluge's (1987) recent reclassification of the Diplodactylinae is also provided and discussed.