Common name: Gallagher’s Leaf-toed Gecko
Scientific name: Asaccus gallagheri
Family: Phyllodactylidae

Size:
SVL (snout-to-vent length): up to 40 mm
Total length: approximately 8–10 cm

Identification:
A small, lightly built leaf-toed gecko with a flattened body, flattened head, narrow neck, and smooth appearance lacking prominent dorsal tubercles. One of its most distinctive features is the sexually dimorphic tail coloration. It possesses expanded leaf-like toe pads that aid climbing on rocky surfaces.

Habitat:
Rocky wadis, cliffs, mountain slopes, boulder fields, and rugged rocky habitats throughout the Hajar Mountains.

Status in the UAE:
Endemic to the Hajar Mountain range of the United Arab Emirates and northern Oman. Distributed from Jebel Akhdar to the Musandam Peninsula and can be locally common in suitable rocky wadis.

Diet:
Insectivorous — feeds on small insects, spiders, and other arthropods.

Behavior:
A nocturnal gecko that emerges after sunset to forage on rocks and cliff faces. Agile and well adapted to steep rocky terrain. In suitable habitats it may be locally common, spending daylight hours hidden within cracks and crevices.

Conservation Status:
Least Concern (LC)

Endemism:
Endemic to the Hajar Mountains of the United Arab Emirates and northern Oman.