This inquisitive, extremely active and absolutely stunning nocturnal species comes from southern Western Australia and South Australia, where it inhabits semi-arid hummocky grassland and shrublands.
Appearance
The dominant dorsal colour of this species is tan to rusty brown, which gradually fades to a pale cream on the underside of the gecko. Running centrally along the spine of the gecko is an irregular, sometimes almost sinusoidal pale cream stripe, which is bordered along each each by a narrow dark brown to black margin. This dorsal stripe bifurcates at the back of the head to form two narrower stripes that terminate at the eyes, whilst on the tail, the dorsal stripe can be discontinuous, forming a series of discrete lozenges. Laterally, the trunk and tail, as well as the limbs are covered in numerous pale cream spots, each of which is surrounded by a dark brown to black margin.
The dorsal view of a juvenile western stone gecko in the top left image clearly shows the pale stripe along the dorsal region of the gecko, while the lateral view (top right) shows the numerous spots on the side of the species. The lower images show different views of the same two geckos.
Size
These geckos, while small, are larger than tessellated geckos, with adults measuring up to about 10 cm or so in length.
Sexing
As with tessellated geckos, males can be distinguished from females by the presence of a hemipenile bulge, pre-anal pores and a cluster of very prominent cloacal spurs, all of which features are either absent or very much smaller in the female.
Care requirements
The husbandry requirements of western stone geckos are easily met and they are an extremely easy species to care for.
Housing
As with the tessellated geckos, this species can be housed as individual geckos, as a male: female pair (so long as the female is allowed to over-winter separately from the male to give her an opportunity to fully recover from breeding) or in groups consisting of one male to multiple females.
Enclosure
As adults, this terrestrial species requires an enclosure measuring about 60cm x 30cm x 30cm.
Temperature
Western stone geckos require a hot end temperature of approximately 30°C (86°F), which can be achieved by placing a heat mat (controlled by a thermostat) under approximately one third to one half of the floor area of the enclosure. The rest of the enclosure should be at room temperature (normally around 24°C (75°F)).
Humidity
As long as a moist hide is provided to facilitate shedding, this species, which inhabits semi-arid regions, requires no additional humidity.
Lighting
Provided that sufficient light is available for the gecko to establish a day-night cycle, this nocturnal species does not require any additional lighting.
Substrate
As previously mentioned, this species comes from semi-arid regions comprising of rocky outcrops surrounded by compacted soils. For a naturalistic enclosure, I therefore replicate this environment by securely interlocking pieces of flat rock to form numerous crevices in which the geckos can hide. These rocks are embedded in a compacted mix of sand and eco earth. I also provide a scattering of leaf litter in the enclosures to provide additional hiding places.
Decor
To provide additional cover, several small hides made from upturned saucers, pieces of mopani wood, cork bark etc should be provided. One of these should be filled with sphagnum moss, eco earth or similar and lightly sprayed with water every day to enable to geckos to shed properly.
Feeding
Western stone geckos are insectivores and will voraciously eat a variety of feeders, such as small crickets (1st instar), hatchling locusts, dubia cockroach nymphs and the occasional mini-mealworm.
Water
A small bowl of water should be available to these geckos at all times.
Supplements
In additional to ensuring that all feeder insects are properly gutloaded, they should be dusted alternately with calcium or a mineral / vitamin supplement, such as Nutrobal.
Further reading
One of the best sources of information on western stone geckos is Dr Dan Brown's website
A brief section providing general information on the husbandry of the Diplodactylus genus can also be found in: Henkel, F. W., & Schmidt, W., 1995. Geckoes: Biology, Husbandry and Reproduction. Translated from German by John Hackworth. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company.
