Bibron's thick-toed gecko

Bibron's thick-toed gecko
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Chondrodactylus
Species:	C. bibronii
Binomial name
	Chondrodactylus bibronii; (A. Smith, 1846)
Synonyms
	Tarentola bibronii; A. Smith, 1846; Pachydactylus bibronii; — Boulenger, 1885; Chondrodactylus bibronii; — Bauer & Lamb, 2005;

Last updated December 31, 2023

Chondrodactylus bibronii, commonly known as Bibron's thick-toed gecko, Bibron's sand gecko,^[3] or simply Bibron's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa. C. bibronii has been used as an animal model in bioastronautic research examining the effects of spaceflight on the morphology and physiology of vertebrates.^[4]

Etymology

The specific name, bibronii, is in honor of French herpetologist Gabriel Bibron, as are several common names.^[5]

Geographic range

Bibron's gecko is distributed across the southern part of the African continent in Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini.^[2] It is common in South Africa, where it is one of the largest gecko species.^{[ citation needed ]}

C. bibronii has been introduced in the southeastern United States. Populations have been found in Manatee County, Florida.^[3]

Description

A moderate-sized gecko, C. bibronii reaches a total length (including tail) of 6 to 8 in (15 to 20 cm). It has a stockier build than most other geckos. The female is generally smaller than the male. Its base color is brown, and it has a beaded pattern dorsally, with black crossbars. The male has white dots; the female may, as well. The belly is white or very light brown. The newly hatched Bibron's gecko has solid line and color patterns, while the adult's patterns are more broken.^{[ citation needed ]}

Behavior

Bibron's thick-toed gecko is arboreal and ground-dwelling. It is territorial, and males are very aggressive toward each other. Individuals can commonly be found missing appendages in the wild.^{[ citation needed ]}

Reproduction

An adult female C. bibronii usually lays two clutches per year, with two eggs per clutch.^{[ citation needed ]}

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gekkonidae</span> Family of lizards

Gekkonidae is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 64 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (Hemidactylus), the tokay gecko (Gekko), day geckos (Phelsuma), the mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus), and dtellas (Gehyra). Gekkonid geckos occur globally and are particularly diverse in tropical areas.

Pachydactylus is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 58 distinct species identified when compared to other closely related gecko genera like Rhoptropus, most of which have emerged since 35Ma. It has been suggested that the reason for this rich speciation not from adaptive radiation nor nonadaptive radiation, but that the genus represents a clade somewhere between the two drivers of speciation. P. bibronii geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation.

Chondrodactylus is genus of geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is commonly known as thick-toed geckos. Little is known of their biology.

Ptenopus is a small genus of lizards, known commonly as barking geckos, in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to southern Africa. There are only three described species in this genus.

Gabriel Bibron was a French zoologist and herpetologist. He was born in Paris. The son of an employee of the Museum national d'histoire naturelle, he had a good foundation in natural history and was hired to collect vertebrates in Italy and Sicily. Under the direction of Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent (1778–1846), he took part in the Morea expedition to Peloponnese.

Pachydactylus austeni, also known commonly as Austen's thick-toed gecko or Austen's gecko, is a species of small thick-toed gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is indigenous to the western coast of South Africa.

Pachydactylus geitje, also known commonly as the ocellated gecko, the ocellated thick-toed gecko and the Cradock thick-toed gecko, is a tiny species of thick-toed gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is indigenous to the Western Cape of South Africa.

<i>Pachydactylus rangei</i> Species of lizard

Pachydactylus rangei, the Namib sand gecko or Namib web-footed gecko, is a species of small lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It inhabits the arid areas of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, and was first described in 1908 by Swedish zoologist Lars Gabriel Andersson, who named it after its finder, German geologist Dr. Paul Range.

Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, born in Pietermaritzburg, was a notable herpetologist in South Africa. Also, he contributed to the collection of spermatophyte samples for the National Herbarium which has become part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. In 1937, together with Anna Amelia Obermeyer, he collected some of the earliest plant specimens from the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia.

Elasmodactylus tetensis, commonly known as the Tete thick-toed gecko or Zambezi thick-toed gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to East Africa.

Pachydactylus labialis, commonly known as the Calvinia thick-toed gecko, Western Cape gecko, or Western Cape thick-toed gecko, is a gecko species endemic to the Western and Northern Cape in South Africa, often found taking shelter under stones.

Pachydactylus vansoni, commonly known as Van Son's gecko or Van Son's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Southern Africa.

Turner's thick-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.

Agama bibronii, Bibron's agama or the North African rock agama, is a species of lizard belonging to the family Agamidae from north western Africa.

Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi, also known commonly as the button-scaled gecko, FitzSimons' thick-toed gecko, Fitzsimons's thick-toed gecko, and FitzSimons' tubercled gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southwestern Africa.

Pulitzer's thick-toed gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.

The Cape Cross thick-toed gecko, also known commonly as Koch's gecko and Koch's thick-toed gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.

Pachydactylus haackei, also known commonly as Haacke's gecko or Haacke's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.

Pachydactylus sansteynae, also known commonly as the coastal thick-toed gecko or San Steyn's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

References

↑ Tolley, K. A.; Alexander, G. J. (2021). "Chondrodactylus bibronii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T196906A139763251. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T196906A139763251.en . Retrieved 27 June 2023.
1 2 Species Chondrodactylus bibronii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
1 2 Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, FourthEdition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 Plates, 207 Figures. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Chondrodactylus bibronii, p. 259, Figure 116).
↑ Gulimova VI et al. (2006)."Effect of 16-Day Spaceflight on the Morphology of Thick-Toed Geckos (Pachydactylus bibronii Smith, 1846)". Journal of Gravitational Physiology13 (1): 197-200. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("Pachydactylus bibroni [sic]", p. 25).