Hemidactylus lankae

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Termite-hill gecko
Hemidactylus lankae.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Hemidactylus
Species:H. lankae
Binomial name
Hemidactylus lankae
Deraniyagala, 1953

Hemidactylus lankae (termite-hill gecko, Sri Lanka leaf-toed gecko) is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka.

Gecko

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.

Sri Lanka Island country in South Asia

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is historically and culturally intertwined with the Indian subcontinent, but is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.

Contents

Habitat and distribution

A beautiful dark-light banded ground gecko from the dry zone of Sri Lanka, below 300m. Known from localities including Kandalama, Dambulla, Giritale, Bakamuna, Puttalam, Wilpattu National Park, and Menikdena.

Kandalama Village in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Kandalama is a village in Sri Lanka. It is located within Central Province. Kandalama is home for one of Sri Lanka's first five star hotels, Heritance Kandalama and Kaludiya Pokuna Archeological Forest.

Dambulla Town in Sri Lanka

Dambulla is a town, situated in the Matale, Central Province of Sri Lanka, situated 148 km (92 mi) north-east of Colombo and 72 km (45 mi) north of Kandy. Due to its location at a major junction, it is the centre of vegetable distribution in the country.

Giritale Town in North Central Province, Sri Lanka

Giritale is a small city in the Polonnaruwa District of Sri Lanka. The location has tourist attraction due its nature and close link with Polonnaruwa, an ancient capital of Sri Lanka. Giritale has some mid-range and up hotels. It is situated on the main road from Colombo to Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa.

Description

Head large. An indistinct lateral skin fold present. Forehead and back covered with large 16-18 rows of convex tubercles. Male are with 13-19 pre-ano-femoral pores. Dorsum yellowish-olive, with three large brwon saddle-like patches, edged with black. Head is with yellow stripes from behind the eye and across nape. Venter unpatterned creamy. Tail dark banded.

Ecology and diet

Inhabits open forests and shrublands. A nocturnal and terrestrial gecko, it shelters during the day in rock cracks, under bark and in rodent burrows. Diet comprises termites, and also crickets, grasshoppers, spiders, and beetles, and they known to congregate on termitaria with sawrming termite alates.

Reproduction

Clutched comprise 2, and may 6, measuring 10 * 12mm, which laid between May and July. Hatchlings are 22mm long.

Related Research Articles

<i>Hemidactylus</i> genus of reptiles

Hemidactylus is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae. It has about 90 described species, newfound ones being described every few years. These geckos are found in all the tropical regions of the world, extending into the subtropical parts of Africa and Europe. They excel in colonizing oceanic islands by rafting on flotsam, and are for example found across most of Polynesia. In some archipelagoes, cryptic species complexes are found. Geckos like to live in and out of houses. They have been introduced to Australia.

<i>Hemidactylus brookii</i> species of reptile

Hemidactylus brookii, commonly known as Brooke's house gecko or spotted house gecko, is a widespread species of gecko.

<i>Hemidactylus maculatus</i> species of reptile

Hemidactylus maculatus, also known as the spotted leaf-toed gecko or giant spotted gecko, is a species of large gecko found in the Western Ghats of India and in parts of Sri Lanka.

Leschenault's leaf-toed gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to South Asia and parts of West Asia. It is often found inside homes. Its scientific name commemorates French botanist Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour.

Hemidactylus karenorum, commonly known as the Burmese leaf gecko, the Burmese leaf-toed gecko, or the Burmese spotted gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Southeast Asia.

Scaly gecko species of reptile

The scaly gecko is a species of nocturnal, terrestrial, insectivorous gecko found in South India and northern Sri Lanka. This species was first discovered in the coastal sand dunes of Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu. Subsequently, it was incorrectly identified and only recently, elaborate descriptions and molecular data are available, enabling a proper identification.

Hemidactylus subtriedrus, also known as Jerdon's gecko or Madras blotched gecko, is a species of gecko found in India and Sri Lanka.

<i>Hemidactylus triedrus</i> species of reptile

Hemidactylus triedrus, also known as the termite hill gecko, Dakota's leaf-toed gecko, or blotched house gecko, is a species of gecko found in South Asia. The race lankae of Sri Lanka, is now given species status and known as Hemidactylus lankae

Mediterranean house gecko species of reptile

The Mediterranean house gecko is a small gecko common to the Mediterranean which has spread to many parts of the world. It is commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name and also as the "Moon Lizard" because it emerges in the evening.

Calodactylodes illingworthorum is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is known only from the island of Sri Lanka. Common names for C. illingworthorum include the golden gecko, Illingworths' gecko, Illingworths' golden gecko, and the Sri Lankan golden gecko.

Calodactylus edwardtaylori is a species of Asian bent-toed gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species, which is endemic to Sri Lanka, was originally described by Batuwia and Bahir in 2005.

Cyrtodactylus soba, also known as the Dumbara bent-toed gecko or Knuckles bent-toed gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka.

<i>Cyrtodactylus triedrus</i> species of reptile

Cyrtodactylus triedrus, also known as the spotted bent-toed gecko, Sri Lanka gecko, spotted bow-fingered gecko, or spotted ground gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka.

Cyrtodactylus yakhuna, also known as the northern Sri Lanka gecko, spotted bow-fingered gecko, blotch bow-fingered gecko, or demon gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to northern Sri Lanka.

<i>Hemidactylus depressus</i> species of reptile

Hemidactylus depressus, also known as Sri Lanka leaf-nosed gecko or Kandyan gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka.

The spotted giant gecko is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka.

Hemidactylus parvimaculatus, also known as the spotted house gecko, is a species of gecko.

Lucasium byrnei, commonly known as the gibber gecko or Byrne's gecko, is a species of small, nocturnal gecko, a lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to Australia.

Hemidactylus pieresii is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.

References