TIMOR-LESTE REPTILE & AMPHIBIAN SURVEY
LEECHES, LIZARDS AND A SLITHERING SURPRISE

On this gray morning, Hinrich and the German team embarked on their introductory hike at Templer Park, north of Kuala Lumpur. They reached the park, it had just stopped raining, and with a low-ceiling overcast sky, the climate felt like a sauna: within a short time, even without much exertion, their clothes were drenched with humidity. It was quite stunning and taxing for them, particularly the new arrivals, who had just stepped off the plane from a much less humid (though not cooler) environment in Germany.

As everyone else got his or her gear sorted for the impending hike, Hinrich began rummaging in the vicinity and in short order produced an interesting gecko. Whereas the first thought was that this could be Hemidactylus frenatus, the common house gecko frequently encountered around human habitations both in Kuala Lumpur as well as in Timor-Leste, this individual did not quite have the right morphology: different chin shields, different scales under the tail, and several other characteristics that gave us pause. They were able to eliminate the other Hemidactylus in Malaysia, and with expert help, from gecko expert Aaron Bauer of Villanova University, have ascertained that this individual is currently considered part of H. frenatus, but only in the broadest sense, and perhaps it is even a representative of a different species. An interesting start.

Hemidactylus frenatus sensu lato from Templer Park	Oddity #1: the chin shields	Oddity #2: the orange scales under the tail

Walking up the path surrounded by such an unusually high level of humidity brought two very different denizens of the forest to the group's attention: frogs and leeches. Whereas the former are always a welcome sight because of their nice colors and bold patterns, the latter were making trouble. Collectively, the six of them received over 20 leech bites, on body parts ranging from feet to arms, and from belly to butt (thanks, Lukas, for sharing!). Frogs seen included Green paddy frog (Hylarana erythraca) and White-lipped frog (H. labialis).

The commonly encountered forest leech, Haemadipsa zeylanica, on Hinrich’s hand	Laura got leeched!
Green paddy frog, Hylarana erythraea	White-lipped frog, Hylarana labialis

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