Heteronotia binoei

Heteronotia binoei
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Heteronotia
Species:	H. binoei
Binomial name
	Heteronotia binoei; (Gray, 1845)
Synonyms
	Heteronota [sic] binoei; Gray, 1845; Gymnodactylus binoei; — A.H.A. Duméril, 1856; Heteronota [sic] binoei; — Günther, 1875; Heteronotia binoei; — Worrell, 1963;

Last updated February 23, 2023

Heteronotia binoei, also known commonly as the Bynoe's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. One of Australia's least habitat-specific geckos, it occurs naturally across much of the country, and has also established in areas where it does not occur naturally, such as urban Perth, Western Australia. It is dark brown to reddish brown, depending on the colour of the ground upon which it lives. There are irregular light bands with dark edges along its back.^[3]

Etymology

The specific name, binoei, is in honour of British naturalist Benjamin Bynoe (1803–1865), who was a naval surgeon aboard HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin.^[5]

Description

The Bynoe's gecko is a slender, long-tailed species which may grow to a total length (including tail) of 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in). It is covered with small scales which appear to be rough, but are soft to touch.^[6] It has slim toes which end with strong claws, but unlike many other gecko species, it does not have expandable toe pads. It has a large head and large eyes, lacking eyelids but being covered with transparent scales.^[7] To keep its eyes clean, it wipes dirt and dust from the lenses with its tongue. The body is covered with small spine like ridges which run down the length of the back, referred to in the alternative common name "prickly gecko".^[7] Colours include yellow, cream, beige, black, and white, with most carrying at least two of these colours. Stripes, speckles, spots, or blotches may cover the gecko.^[6] It usually has an indication of a dark temporal streak and another dark streak along the canthus rostralis. The lips are whitish and usually lightly freckled with a darkish brown.^[8]

Like many species of geckos, a wide array of calls can be made with its well-developed vocal chords.^[7]

Geographic range

The Bynoe's gecko is found in all mainland Australia's states, except the Australian Capital Territory. It is endemic to Australia, but is not found in humid parts of the southeast and southwest.^[7] It also inhabits many islands off the west coast and has large populations on Barrow Island.^[9]

Habitat

The Bynoe's gecko occurs in many habitats throughout Australia. It is most commonly found in woodlands, grasslands, and disturbed habitats, all being open and dry.^[7] It can also be found in tropical rainforests, central deserts, and coastal sand dunes.^[6] As it is a terrestrial species, it takes shelter under all types of ground cover including leaves, logs, stumps, stones, termite mounds, loose bark at the base of trees, and animal burrows. It has been found to shelter under man made habitat.^[7] Furthermore, the Bynoe's gecko is often the most abundant reptile found in many arid areas in Australia.^[10]

Reproduction

In Australia, the Bynoe's gecko has been found to be in ideal breeding condition between July and September. Sexual maturity is reached in 1 to 3 years and females lay 2 eggs over the months of September to January. Eggs are soft-shelled when laid, but become hardened and brittle when exposed to the air. These eggs are usually deposited under rocks, inside animal burrows, or inside logs. Each female only produces 1 clutch per year.^[7] Females on Barrow Island reproduce by parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction where the growth and development of the embryo occurs without fertilisation by a male.^[9]

Both parthenogenetic and sexual races of H. binoei occur together in areas of the Australian arid zone. When measured under laboratory conditions, the parthenogenetic geckos had about a 30% lower fecundity than their sexual progenitors.^[11]

Diet

The Bynoe's gecko is mainly active at night. It leaves its shelter and hunts various invertebrates including moths and grasshoppers throughout the night. It hunts among leaf litter or in bare open spaces and will occasionally climb trees or within rocks to source food.^[7]

Predators and threats

Like many other geckos, the Bynoe's gecko has many predators. It is able to flee rapidly and quickly when disturbed but is likely to still be vulnerable to attack by a range of other predators including larger lizards.^[7]

Related Research Articles

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia although some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon.

<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. Members of the Gekkonidae comprise many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (Hemidactylus), tokay geckos (Gekko), day geckos (Phelsuma), mourning geckos (Lepidodactylus) and dtellas (Gehyra). Gekkonid geckos occur globally and are particularly species-rich in tropical areas.

Underwoodisaurus is a small genus of Australian lizards in the family Carphodactylidae. Member species are commonly known as thick-tailed geckos, along with the species Uvidicolus sphyrurus.

Darevskia is a genus of wall lizards of the family Lacertidae. Member species are native to the Caucasus, Iran and Turkey, living in forest and grassy habitats with numerous rock outcrops. Among rock lizards, seven parthenogenetic species are known.

The New Mexico whiptail is a female-only species of lizard found in the southwestern United States in New Mexico and Arizona, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua. It is the official state reptile of New Mexico. It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenetic. Individuals of the species can be created either through the hybridization of the little striped whiptail and the western whiptail, or through the parthenogenetic reproduction of an adult New Mexico whiptail.

The common house gecko is a gecko native to South and Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tayoto, chipkali or moon lizard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parthenogenesis</span> Asexual reproduction without fertilization

Parthenogenesis is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and development of embryos occur in a gamete without combining with another gamete. In animals, parthenogenesis means development of an embryo from an unfertilized egg cell. In plants, parthenogenesis is a component process of apomixis. In algae, parthenogenesis can mean the development of an embryo from either an individual sperm or an individual egg.

Lepidodactylus listeri, also known commonly as Lister's gecko or the Christmas Island chained gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae, endemic to Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. It is currently extinct in the wild.

Menetia greyii, commonly known as the common dwarf skink or Grey's skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to mainland Australia and Indonesia.

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

Christinus alexanderi, also known as Alexander's southern gecko or Alexander's marbled gecko, is a species of Gekkonidae geckos found in the Nullarbor Plain of Australia. It is one of the many species and subspecies regionally termed as marbled geckos.

Gehyra variegata, the tree dtella, variegated dtella or varied dtella, is a species of gecko in the genus Gehyra, native to inland Australia.

The pygmy mulga monitor, also known as Gillen's monitor or just mulga monitor is a species of lizard in the family Varanidae.

Lucasium steindachneri, commonly called the box-patterned gecko or Steindachner's gecko, is a species of nocturnal, medium-sized lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species has a pale strip with three patches of brown along its back. This gecko is terrestrial and only found in arid and semi-arid areas of continental Australia.

Parthenogenesis is a mode of asexual reproduction in which offspring are produced by females without the genetic contribution of a male. Among all the sexual vertebrates, the only examples of true parthenogenesis, in which all-female populations reproduce without the involvement of males, are found in squamate reptiles. There are about 50 species of lizard and 1 species of snake that reproduce solely through parthenogenesis. It is unknown how many sexually reproducing species are also capable of parthenogenesis in the absence of males, but recent research has revealed that this ability is widespread among squamates.

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

Wahlberg's velvet gecko is a species of large gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species occurs exclusively in Southern Africa.

Nephrurus levis, commonly known as the three-lined knob-tailed gecko, smooth knob-tailed gecko, or common knob-tailed gecko, is a native Australian gecko species. The smooth knob-tailed gecko is part of the Carphodactylidae family, a family endemic to Australia. A common, alternative, name for this family is barking geckos due loud barks they make during threat displays, which includes swaying their bodies, winding their tail and attacking with an open mouth. There are multiple sub-species of Nephrurus levis, these include N.l. levis, N.l. occidentalis and N.l. pibarenis. Its aboriginal name is Illchiljera.

The variable fat-tailed gecko or burrow-plug gecko is a diplodactylid gecko endemic to central and arid inland areas of Australia. Widespread across the continent, the variable fat-tailed is most commonly found in sandy desert habitats dominated by Spinifex grasses. They have also been bred in captivity by zoos and as pets.

Strophurus williamsi, also known commonly as the eastern spiny-tailed gecko, the soft-spined gecko, and Williams' spiny-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to semi-arid regions of eastern Australia including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It has become a popular species as a pet for its distinctive tail features. S. williamsi has been grouped within a clade of seven other species that are believed to have diverged from their ancestors around 20 million years ago. S. williamsi can be distinguished from closer relatives by arboreality and diurnal (day-active) activity.

References

↑ Ellis R, Moritz C (2017). "Heteronotia binoei ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T56796470A56796541. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T56796470A56796541.en. Downloaded on 24 June 2018.
↑ "Heteronotia binoei ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
↑ Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad; Browne-Cooper, Robert; Robinson, David (2000). A Guide to the Reptiles and Frogs of the Perth region. Melbourne: UWA Publishing. 226 pp. ISBN 978-1-875560-42-4.
↑ Moritz C (1991). "The origin and evolution of parthenogenesis in Heteronotia binoei (Gekkonidae): Evidence for recent and localized origins of widespread clones". Genetics. 129 (1): 211–219. doi:10.1093/genetics/129.1.211. PMC 1204568 . PMID 1682211.
↑ 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. (Heteronotia binoei, p. 45).
1 2 3 Bynoe's Gecko Archived 2017-07-08 at the Wayback Machine . Pilbarapythons.com. Retrieved on 2013-10-26.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Bynoe's gecko videos, photos and facts – Heteronotia binoei Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine . ARKive. Retrieved on 2013-10-26.
↑ Cogger, Harold (1996). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. Sixth Revised edition. Melbourne: Reed Books Australia. 788 pp. ISBN 073010088X. (Heteronotia binoei, p. 247).
1 2 Moro, Dorian; MacAulay, Isobel (2010). A Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Barrow Island Archived 2013-10-29 at the Wayback Machine . Perth: Chevron Australia Pty. Ltd. 72 pp. ISBN 978-0-9871120-2-6.
↑ Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2006). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Second Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 512 pp. ISBN 978-1877069468.
↑ Kearney M, Shine R. Lower fecundity in parthenogenetic geckos than sexual relatives in the Australian arid zone. J Evol Biol. 2005 May;18(3):609-18. doi: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2004.00866.x. PMID: 15842490