Gehyra oceanica

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Gehyra oceanica
Tonga gecko 2.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Gehyra
Species:
G. oceanica
Binomial name
Gehyra oceanica
(Lesson, 1830)
Synonyms
  • Gecko oceanicus
  • Gehyra pacifica
  • Gehyra gularis
  • Gehyra oceania
  • Hemidactylus oualensis
  • Hemidactylus ovalensis
  • Peropus oualensis
  • Peropus oceanicus

Gehyra oceanica, also known as the Oceania gecko or Pacific dtella, is a species of gecko in the genus Gehyra . The larger Gehyra vorax (voracious gecko) of Fiji, Vanuatu and New Guinea has sometimes been included in this species, but is now treated as distinct. [1]

The species is native to New Guinea and a number of islands in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. It has also been widely introduced across the islands of the Pacific, reaching as far as the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia (where the species was first collected for science), although the extent to which the species has been introduced by human intervention is a matter of some debate. There are two apparent populations, a northern one in Micronesia and a southern one in Melanesia and Polynesia. [2] There are also records of the species in New Zealand and Hawaii, but the species has apparently not become established there. [1]

The species is generally arboreal and nocturnal. The diet includes insects and even smaller geckos. Some stomachs have also been found with seeds from fruit. [1] It reproduces sexually, and unlike some other geckos in its genus its eggs are non-adhesive. The species shares communal nests of not more than twelve eggs in each, with only two eggs being laid by a female at a time. These eggs have a long incubation time, up to 115 days. [2] It inhabits a range of habitats including plantations, gardens, and disturbed and undisturbed forests. [3] The species will also feed inside human buildings, but is not described as commensal. [1]

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Oceanian realm Terrestrial biogeographic realm

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Pacific Islander Person from the Pacific Islands

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<i>Gehyra</i> Genus of lizards

Gehyra is a genus of geckos in the family Gekkonidae. They are known as web-toed geckos or dtellas, and most species within the genus bear close resemblance to geckos from the genus Hemidactylus.

Polynesians form an ethnolinguistic group of closely related people who are native to Polynesia, an expansive region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. They trace their early prehistoric origins to Island Southeast Asia and form part of the larger Austronesian ethnolinguistic group with an Urheimat in Taiwan. They speak the Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic subfamily of the Austronesian language family.

Lapita culture Neolithic archaeological culture in the Pacific

The Lapita culture is the name given to a Neolithic Austronesian people and their material culture, who settled Island Melanesia via a seaborne migration at around 1600 to 500 BCE. They are believed to have originated from the northern Philippines, either directly, via the Mariana Islands, or both. They were notable for their distinctive geometric designs on dentate-stamped pottery, which closely resemble the pottery recovered from the Nagsabaran archaeological site in northern Luzon. The Lapita intermarried with the Papuan populations to various degrees, and are the direct ancestors of the Austronesian peoples of Polynesia, eastern Micronesia, and Island Melanesia.

<i>Gehyra mutilata</i> Species of lizard

Gehyra mutilata, also known commonly as the common four-clawed gecko, Pacific gecko, stump-toed gecko, sugar gecko in Indonesia, tender-skinned house gecko, and butiki in Filipino, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia. It has made its way to several areas of the world including Sri Lanka, Indochina, and many of the Pacific Islands. Compared to the common house gecko, the appearance of G. mutilata is somewhat plump, with delicate skin. The skin is usually colored a soft purplish/pinkish gray, with golden spots on younger specimens; these spots eventually fade with age.

Near Oceania Part of Oceania settled 35,000 years ago

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Melanesians are the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in a wide area from the Maluku Islands, East Nusa Tenggara and New Guinea to as far east as the islands of Vanuatu and Fiji. Most speak either one of the many languages of the Austronesian language family, especially ones in the Oceanic branch, or from one of the many unrelated families of Papuan languages. Other languages are the several creoles of the region, such as Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, Solomon Islands Pijin, Bislama, Ambonese Malay and Papuan Malay.

Oceanian art

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

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Dubious dtella Species of lizard

The dubious dtella, native Australian house gecko, ordubious four-clawed gecko is a species of gecko in the genus Gehyra, native to Northeastern Australia. The lizard is found in a variety of habitats, including acacia and eucalyptus woodlands, and in human-developed habitats, such as house walls in urban areas. Its urban presence makes it known as a common house gecko in Queensland. These geckos are often confused with the Asian common house gecko, which was introduced to Australia from Indonesia, but G. dubia has distinct rounded feet and quieter calls.

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<i>Gehyra georgpotthasti</i> Species of lizard

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Beckon, William N. (1992). "The Giant Pacific Geckos of the Genus Gehyra: Morphological Variation, Distribution, and Biogeography". Copeia. 1992 (2): 443–460. doi:10.2307/1446204. JSTOR   1446204.
  2. 1 2 Fisher, Robert N. (1997). "Dispersal and Evolution of the Pacific Basin Gekkonid Lizards Gehyra oceanica and Gehyra mutilata". Evolution. 51 (3): 906–921. doi:10.2307/2411165. JSTOR   2411165.
  3. Lever, Christopher (2003). Naturalized reptiles and amphibians of the world. Oxford biology readers. Oxford University Press. pp. 65–66. ISBN   978-0-19-850771-0.