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396 MEMOIRSOFTHEQUEENSLAND MUSEUM SAP FEEDING BY THE AUSTRALIAN GECKO stomachofQMJ5956I (SVL64.7mm)containsearwig and GEHYRA DUBIA, Memoirs of the Queensland Museum cockroachfragments.NorecognisableAcaciasapispresent. 38(2):396. 1995:- Although Australiangeckosarcgenerally Therearetwopossibleexplanationsfortheapparentabsence opportunisticarthropodfeeders(Greer,1989),severalspecies ofsapfrombothstomachcontents:relativelysmallamounts will also feedon plant nectarand sap. Christinusguentheri ofitwere ingested; it is likely thatsugary fluids arerapidly andRhacodactyiuslindnerilicknectarfromblossoms(Cog- andcompletelydigestible.Thepresenceofinsectremainsin geretBt,1983;King&Horner, 1993).Gehyraaustraiisticks bothgutsamplesshowsthatarthropodsremainanimportant decaying, or pulpy fruit (King & Homer, 1993); and foodsource forG.dubiaspecimens,evenwhenIheyfeedon Christinus marmoratus, Heteronotia binoei and sap. Lepidodacryluslugubriswillfeedincaptivityonsugar-based Sap-feeding by Gehyra cf. batioia and Rhacodactyius substances (after Greer, 1989). Only two records ofgeckos australishas been observed (SKW) recently, a specimen of feedingonsapareknown.Gehyravariegatafeedsonthesap theformerwasphotographed(QMNP754)feedingonthesap of small Acacia shrubs in Western Australia (Dell, 1985); of an Acacia sp. tree, 500m from the tip of Cape York Strophrurusspinigeruswasseenbyoneofus(SKW)feeding Peninsula (10°4rS, 142°33'E). The R. australis was seen onAcaciasapnearPerth,WA,inspring, 1981. feeding on the sap ofan unidentified rainforest tree in the On21 March, 1995, inopenforest 15kmsouthofYuleba LockerbieScrub(10Q47*S. 142n28'E). (:6"43*26"S, 149°19'E) SEQ, a specimen ofGehyra duhia wasobservedatapproximately 1930hhead-down,apparently LiteratureCited licking sap from the trunk ofasmall tree.Acacia teiocalyx Cogger, H., Sadlicr,R. &Cameron.E. 1983.Theterrestrial leiocalyx.Smallblackantswerepresent,soitwasdifficultto reptilesofAustralia'sislandterriftories.AustralianNa- determine whether the gecko was feeding on these or the tional Parksand Wildlife Service.Special publication Acaciasap. II;80pp. Laterintheevening2()40h 1kmsouthofthe initialobser- Dell,J., 1985.Arborealgeckosfeedingonplantsap.Western vationsite,severalspecimensofG.duhia(2-3pertree)were AustralianNaturalist 1(>(4):69-70. seen near the bases of trunks of small Acacia trees. Six Greer, A.E., 1989. 'ThebiologyandevolutionofAustralian specimens were feedingonsap.Two wereobservedfor 18 lizards'.(SurreyBealty& sonsPtyLtd:ChippingNor- minutes.Thefirstwasfeeding 15cmabove theground, un j ton, NSW)264pp. 2.7 metrehighAcacia/. teiocalyxtreewithatrunkdiameter King, M. & Horner, P., 1993. Familv Gekkonidae. Pp 221- of5cm.Thegeckowashead-down,lickingata 1cm'bead*of 233.InGlasby,C.J.,Ross,G.J.B.&Beesley,P.L.feds), sap on which a solid crust had formed.The gecko's tongue FaunaofAustraliavol.2a,Amphibia&Reptilia.(Aus- penetratedthisoutercrusttoextractthesofter,almostliquid. tralian Government Publishing Service: Canberra). sap.Thesecondgeckowas feedinginthe sameway,alsoon 439pp. sapofanA. /. teiocalyxtree(3mhigh, trunkdiameter8cm). Thegeckowasabout 11cmfromtheground,andwaslicking Acknowledgements awmee2driceamtceowlleyleepcTtihendeg(f'uQwlMloJud5nu9dr5'a6t0ioo-nn6t1oh)fe,tAhckiiaslclbieeadhtaarvnuidnoku.prrBewosateshrvngeodetckiromes-- PAruosTgthrriaaslmi)ad.niWsNcaeotvuterhreaynCkownTasrseervmvoaartdiBeoeneotAnsgoefnine(clDdyP(Iw)EonrfdkoarnfigdueenrndteeiddfSyibpneygcittehhsee bocoferhdtaewvdio.ouAortthbtehyrisGs.spietdecu,ibegiseac-kwoaAs.swoeebnrsnefeerarvltseaodfaiennedBdaiAnr,gakodunelcsaoarSptafa.treoSmiFmotirrleesaetrs AMcoanctieaitshpp(.QoMn)wfhoirchidtehnetigfeycinkgosarwtehrreopfoededrienmg,aiannsdiDnrthGeeogfuft samples. (26°15'S, 150°30'B) in December. 1982 (SKW), on an un- P.J. Cooper,JA. Covacevich, SJC Wilson, QueenslandMu- idenBtoitfhieQdAMcJd5cj9'5d6t0ree-.61areadultmales,withenlargedtestes. seum, Box3300, South Brisbane. 4101 Australia; 28August 1995. Theyhavefullstomachs.ThatofQMJ59560I'SVL63,0mm) contains fragments of a large katydid (Tettigoniidae). The