Conservation Actions

A management plan is recommended for Rinjani National Park, including control of tourist numbers and restriction of camping activities which may degrade stream habitat. Extension of the national park to encompass the nearby locality is recommended. More targeted surveys in known suitable microhabitat are recommended to clarify whether this species is more widespread than presently recognized.

Location Information

This species is only known from the island of Lombok, Indonesia, which has an area of 4,725 km². The species does not appear to occur island-wide, and is thought to be restricted to Rinjani and surrounding highlands in the north of the island (S. Reilly pers. comm. 2019). The type locality is on the north slope of the volcano and most records have been taken from around this area, but it may occur throughout the highlands based on its likely ecology (S. Reilly pers. comm. 2019). The elevation of the type locality (Sandang Gille) appears to be around 2,000 ft (700 m).

Geographic Range

Extant

Indonesia

Population Information

This gecko is currently known from two specimens, collected in 1992 (Das 1993), and two additional specimens found in targeted surveys close to the type locality in 2011, but the species was hard to find and not common (S. Reilly pers. comm. 2019). Other specimens may be in museum collections under other names (A. Riyanto pers. comm. 2019). It has not been found in multiple surveys on Rinjani between 1,000 and 2,000 m asl. (A.A.T. Amarasinghe pers. comm. 2019).

Threats

This species may be naturally restricted to forest in the mountains north of Lombok. If it ever occurred more widely in lowland areas, it is unlikely to survive here as this area has been converted to rice paddies, however, apparently suitable rivers and ravines do not occur in this area. The type locality lies outside the protected area, and while the forest is offered some protection by the presence of a waterfall that is a popular tourist spot, most of the surrounding area has been converted for smallholder fruit and tree plantations and rice paddies. The species probably occurs within Ranjini National Park, where the forest is largely intact but the floor has been cleared of deadwood for fuel. More than 50% of the area outside the national park has been completely cleared for hotels and associated tourist infrastructure over the last 10 years (A.A.T. Amarasinghe pers. comm. 2019). It occurs in low densities at the type locality, and surveys elsewhere in Ranjini have failed to record it either within or outside the protected area. The largest trees within the forest have fallen as a result of an magnitude 7 earthquake in 2018 (A.A.T. Amarasinghe pers. comm. 2019). The volcano is active, and may also represent a threat although the species has evidently survived multiple past eruptions of this and nearby volcanoes.

IUCN Red List Account Link

Please click here to see the species' IUCN Red List Account page.