Gekko wenxianensis

Gekko wenxianensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Gekko
Species:	G. wenxianensis
Binomial name
	Gekko wenxianensis; Zhou & Wang, 2008

Last updated April 03, 2019

Gekko wenxianensis is a species of gecko. It is endemic to the Qin Mountains in Gansu, China.^[1] At the time of its species description, it was the 12th recorded Gekko species in China.^[2]

Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 to 60 cm. Most geckos cannot blink, but they often lick their eyes to keep them clean and moist. They have a fixed lens within each iris that enlarges in darkness to let in more light.

Gansu is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the northwest of the country.

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.404 billion. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third- or fourth-largest country by total area. Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Etymology

The specific name wenxianensis refers to its type locality, Wen County, Gansu (Chinese :文县; pinyin :Wénxiàn).^[1]^[2]

In zoological nomenclature, the specific name is the second part within the scientific name of a species. The first part of the name of a species is the name of the genus or the generic name. The rules and regulations governing the giving of a new species name are explained in the article species description.

Wen County, Gansu County in Gansu, Peoples Republic of China

Wen County or Wenxian is a county under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Longnan, in the southeast of Gansu province, China, bordering Sichuan province to the south and west. It has a land area of 4,994 square kilometers, and a population of 240,000 (2004).

Simplified Chinese characters are standardized Chinese characters prescribed in the Table of General Standard Chinese Characters for use in mainland China. Along with traditional Chinese characters, they are one of the two standard character sets of the contemporary Chinese written language. The government of the People's Republic of China in mainland China has promoted them for use in printing since the 1950s and 1960s to encourage literacy. They are officially used in the People's Republic of China and Singapore.

Description

It is characterized by its nasal-rostral contact and moderately sized body. Its body has dorsal tubercles extending from the occiput and temporal regions to the back and tail base, but are lacking on the forelimb and thigh. It counts with 6–8 pre-cloacal pores in a continuous series in males, and a tail generally with two cloacal spurs on each side.^[1]^[2] Snout–vent length varied between 52 and 59 mm (2.0 and 2.3 in) among the males and females in the type series.^[2]

In reptiles, the nasal scale refers to the scale that encloses the nostril.

The rostral scale, or rostral, in snakes and other scaled reptiles is the median plate on the tip of the snout that borders the mouth opening. It corresponds to the mental scale in the lower jaw. The term pertains to the rostrum, or nose. In snakes, the shape and size of this scale is one of many characteristics used to differentiate species from one another.

The temple indicates the side of the head behind the eye between the forehead and the ear. The bone beneath is the temporal bone as well as part of the sphenoid bone.

Habitat

The type series originates from the south slope of the west Qin Mountains at an elevation of 905 m (2,969 ft) above sea level. No other information on the habitat of this species is included in the species description.^[2]

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Longnan Prefecture-level city in Gansu, Peoples Republic of China

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References

1 2 3 Gekko wenxianensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 9 May 2017.
1 2 3 4 5 Zhou, Kaiya; Qiuxian Wang (2008). "New species of Gekko (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from China: morphological and molecular evidence". Zootaxa. 1778: 59–68.

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[RDB-1] 1 2 3 Gekko wenxianensis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 9 May 2017.

[Zhou_&_Wang_2008-2] 1 2 3 4 5 Zhou, Kaiya; Qiuxian Wang (2008). "New species of Gekko (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from China: morphological and molecular evidence". Zootaxa. 1778: 59–68.