Sri Lankan Golden Gecko

The head of C. illingworthorum is wider than the body. The pupil of the eye is vertical. There are two pairs of enlarged, nearly rectangular lamellae under each finger and toe. The tail has 27 segments. The dorsum is a yellow-ochre color with dark brown spots. The throat is either bright yellow or orange. The chest and venter are pale gray or yellow. There are 4 pre-anal pores and 4 to 10 femoral pores.

A large, rock-dwelling gecko from the dry zone of Sri Lanka, C. illingworthorum is distributed in the monsoon forests of the eastern parts of the country, such as Namadagala, Monaragala, Nilgala, Gal Oya National Park, Buttala, and Ampara.

C. illingworthorum inhabits rocky biotopes, such as granitic caves within savannah and monsoon forests. A single cave may house up to 50 individuals. Its diet comprises large insects, such as dipterans, coleopterans, their larvae, glow-worms, and other arthropods. Its call uttered throughout the day, and more commonly at dusk, is a harsh, chuckling note. It leaves its rock habitat by dusk to the adjoining vegetation for foraging and returns in the morning.

The specific name, illingworthorum, which is genitive plural, is in honor of Margaret and Percy Illingworth.