Gargoyle gecko

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Gargoyle gecko
Gargoylegecko 2017 (cropped).png
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Rhacodactylus
Species:
R. auriculatus
Binomial name
Rhacodactylus auriculatus
(Bavay, 1869)
Synonyms [2]
  • Platydactylus auriculatusbasionym
  • Ceratolophus hexaceros Bocage, 1873
  • Gecko ceratolophus Boring et al., 1949

The gargoyle gecko, knob-headed giant gecko, New Caledonia bumpy gecko, or New Caledonian bumpy gecko (Rhacodactylus auriculatus) is a species of gecko found only on the southern end of the island of New Caledonia. [1] [2] [3] Its habitat is threatened by deforestation on the island. [1] This species of gecko is the smallest of the six recognized species in its genus where they often reach about 125 mm in size. [4] This gecko, along with several other Rhacodactylus species are being considered for protective measures by CITES, which would put restrictions on their exportation. This gecko was first described by Bavay in 1869.

Contents

Description

This reptile gets its common name from the cranial bumps that give the appearance of horns or ears; in fact, auriculatus is Latin for "ears" or "eared", depending on the case. [5] Other characteristics of this gecko include a thin prehensile tail which will regenerate if it drops off, [6] as well as small adhesive [7] toe pads. Although these geckos have the ability to grip vines, branches, and other obstacles, most do not have the ability to climb sheer surfaces, such as glass. As small as 1 inch (25 mm) long (from snout to vent) and weighing 3 grams at hatching, it reaches an average length of 7 inches (180 mm) to 9 inches (230 mm) and 60 to 70 grams in weight. They are considered a small to medium size gecko.

Behavior

Gargoyle geckos are primarily nocturnal. [1] [3] [8] They are an arboreal species, making their home in scrub forests. The female lays two eggs per clutch, which hatch 60 to 90 days after they are laid. The female can lay eight or nine clutches per year. On rare occasions, gargoyle geckos can reproduce asexually via parthenogenesis.

In their native habitat of southern New Caledonia, they have been known to sustain themselves from a mixed diet. One study [3] found that they regularly consume a wide taxonomic and ecological variety of arthropods, lizard prey including geckos and skinks, and various plant materials including floral parts and sap.

They can propel themselves almost three times their body length to reach a vine or tree branch, yet their feet do not have as much traction as other gecko's feet do, so they slip every now and then, making them seem clumsy. Moving about is no problem to them, as long as their skin is kept moist, it will stretch and accommodate their movements.

In captivity

This gecko species is commonly kept as a pet by hobbyists. They occur in many colors, including varying shades of greys, browns, white, yellow, orange, and red, with varying patterns of blotches and striping. They are commonly captive bred for particular traits of pattern and color, like many captive geckos. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gecko</span> Lizard belonging to the infraorder Gekkota

Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 to 60 centimetres.

<i>Bavayia</i> Genus of lizards

Bavayia is a genus of lizards in the family Diplodactylidae. Species in the genus Bavayia are also known commonly as New Caledonian geckos or bavayias. The genus is native to the remote New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands. The 41 species are moderately small to medium-sized geckos, and are distinguished from other genera by their tail length and the shape of their digits.

<i>Eurydactylodes</i> Genus of lizards

Eurydactylodes is a small genus of geckos commonly referred to as chameleon geckos from the subfamily Diplodactylidae, endemic to New Caledonia and few adjacent islands. Within the Diplodactylidae, Eurydactylodes resides in the Carphodactylini tribe, and consists of four species. All species share similar morphology as well as lifestyle and habits. The first of the Eurydactylodes species to be classified, E. vieillardi, was discovered in 1869.

<i>Rhacodactylus</i> Genus of lizards

Rhacodactylus is a genus of medium to large geckos of the family Diplodactylidae. All species in this genus are found on the islands that make up New Caledonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crested gecko</span> Species of lizard

The crested gecko or eyelash gecko is a species of gecko native to southern New Caledonia. In 1866, the crested gecko was described by French zoologist Alphonse Guichenot. This species was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994 during an expedition led by Robert Seipp. Along with several other New Caledonian gecko species, it is being considered for protected status by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.

<i>Rhacodactylus leachianus</i> Species of lizard

Rhacodactylus leachianus, commonly known as the New Caledonian giant gecko, Leach's giant gecko, leachianus gecko, or Leachie, is the largest living species of gecko and a member of the family Diplodactylidae. It is native to most of New Caledonia.

<i>Mniarogekko chahoua</i> Species of lizard

Mniarogekko chahoua, commonly known as the mossy New Caledonian gecko, short-snouted New Caledonian gecko, Bavay's giant gecko, or mossy prehensile-tailed gecko, is an arboreal gecko found natively on the southern portion of the island of New Caledonia and on the outlying islands of Île des Pins.

<i>Correlophus sarasinorum</i> Species of lizard

Correlophus sarasinorum, also called commonly Roux's giant gecko, Sarasins' giant gecko, Sarasin's [sic] giant gecko (incorrectly), and the suras gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is native to the southern portions of the outlying New Caledonian island of Grande Terre.

The rough-snouted giant gecko, also known as the greater rough-snouted gecko or tough-snouted gecko, is a species of gecko found in New Caledonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopard gecko</span> Species of reptile

The leopard gecko or common leopard gecko is a ground-dwelling gecko native to the rocky dry grassland and desert regions of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. The leopard gecko has become a popular pet, and due to extensive captive breeding it is sometimes referred to as the first domesticated species of lizard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tokay gecko</span> Species of reptile

The tokay gecko is a nocturnal arboreal gecko in the genus Gekko, the true geckos. It is native to Asia and some Pacific Islands.

<i>Gigarcanum</i> Extinct species of lizard

Gigarcanum delcourti, formerly Hoplodactylus delcourti, is an extinct species of gecko in the family Diplodactylidae. It is the largest known of all geckos, with a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 37 cm (14.6 in) and an overall length of at least 60 cm (23.6 in). It is only known from a single taxidermied specimen collected in the 19th century that was rediscovered unlabelled in a museum in France. The origin of the specimen was undocumented. While originally suggested to have been from New Zealand and the kawekaweau of Māori oral tradition, DNA evidence from the specimen suggests that it originates from New Caledonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persian spider gecko</span> Species of lizard

The Persian spider gecko hails from semidesert regions of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, where temperatures range from extreme summer day highs to extreme winter night lows.

<i>Lepidodactylus lugubris</i> Species of lizard

Lepidodactylus lugubris, known as the mourning gecko or common smooth-scaled gecko, is a species of lizard, a gecko of the family Gekkonidae.

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

The Diplodactylidae are a family in the suborder Gekkota (geckos), with over 150 species in 25 genera. These geckos occur in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Diplodactylids are the most ecologically diverse and widespread family of geckos in both Australia and New Caledonia, and are the only family of geckos found in New Zealand. Three diplodactylid genera have recently been split into multiple new genera.

Arthur René Jean Baptiste Bavay was a French pharmacist, herpetologist and malacologist.

Paniegekko is a monotypic genus of geckos in the family Diplodactylidae, containing the species Paniegekko madjo. It is endemic to humid montane forests on Mont Ignambi and Mont Panié in the Panié massif of New Caledonia. It was once considered a species of Bavayia, a similar genus of arboreal geckos. Paniegekko madjo is endangered, owing to predation by introduced rodents and cats combined with habitat degradation by wildfires and introduced pigs and deer. It has not been observed since 1998.

<i>Rhacodactylus trachycephalus</i> Species of lizard

Rhacodactylus trachycephalus, commonly known as the lesser rough-snouted giant gecko, dwarf rough-snouted giant gecko, or tough-snouted giant gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to two small areas of islands in New Caledonia. Its body grows to around 10 centimetres (3.9 in) and has a mosaic pattern with a variety of colors. Rhacodactylus trachyrhynchus is a closely related species, but R. trachycephalus is smaller and has a number of other noticeable differences. R. trachycephalus is viviparous, giving birth to only one or two young a year. Its restricted humid forest habitat is vulnerable due to multiple threats. As a result of habitat reduction, low reproduction rate and small population, it is one of the rarest geckos in the world.

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

Pachydactylus fasciatus, also known as the striped thick-toed gecko, banded thick-toed gecko, thick-toed banded gecko, or Damaraland banded gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It is endemic to northwestern Namibia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pygopodoidea</span> Superfamily of lizards

Pygopodoidea is a gecko superfamily and the only taxon in the gekkotan subclade Pygopodomorpha. The clade includes three Australasian families: Diplodactylidae, Carphodactylidae, and Pygopodidae. Traditional gekkotan systematics had considered Diplodactylidae and Carphodactylidae as subfamilies of the family Gekkonidae, but recent molecular work have placed Pygopodidae within Gekkonidae making it paraphyletic. These analyses have shown support of Pygopodidae and Carphodactylidae being sister taxa, with Diplodactylidae occupying a basal position in Pygopodoidea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sadlier, R.A.; Bauer, A.M.; Jourdan , H.; Astrongatt, S.; Deuss, M.; Duval, T.; Bourguet, E.; McCoy, S.; Bouteiller, A.; Lagrange, A. (2021). "Rhacodactylus auriculatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T176132A123247650. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T176132A123247650.en . Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 Rhacodactylus auriculatus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 20 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Snyder, Joshua; L. Snyder; A. M. Bauer. "Ecological observations on the gargoyle gecko, Rhacodactylus auriculatus (Bavay, 1869), in southern New Caledonia". Salamandra. 46: 37–47.
  4. Sameit, J. (1986). "Rhacodactylus auriculatus (Bavay) (Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae)". Sauria. 8 (Supplement): 43–44.
  5. "The other former Rhacodactylus geckos". Rhac-Shack. Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-08-30.
  6. "Gargoyle Gecko Care Sheet". 30 November 2011.
  7. "Do Gargoyle Geckos Have Sticky Feet - terrariumstation.com". 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  8. Gamble, Tony; Greenbaum, Eli; Jackman, Todd R.; Bauer, Aaron M. (2015-08-01). "Into the light: diurnality has evolved multiple times in geckos". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 115 (4): 896–910. doi: 10.1111/bij.12536 .
  9. De Vosjoli, Philippe (2003). Rhacodactylus : the complete guide to their selection and care. Frank Fast, Allen Repashy. Vista, Calif.: Advanced Visions. ISBN   0-9742971-0-0. OCLC   58595069.