Lygodactylus

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Lygodactylus
Dwarf Yellow-headed gecko edit.jpg
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Subfamily: Uroplatinae
Genus: Lygodactylus
Gray, 1864 [1] [2]
Diversity
82 spp.

Lygodactylus is a genus of diurnal geckos with 82 species. They are commonly referred to as dwarf geckos. They are mainly found in Africa and Madagascar although two species are found in South America. Lygodactylus picturatus, the best known species, is found in Kenya and commonly known as the white-headed dwarf gecko. [3] Recently, illegal importation from Tanzania of brightly colored (and critically-endangered), Lygodactylus williamsi, known as electric blue geckos, has been gaining attention for Lygodactylus geckos in the reptile trade.

Contents

Since all trade in wild-caught Lygodactylus williamsi is illegal, shipments of these geckos are often intentionally mislabelled as Lygodactylus spp. or as Lygodactylus capensis . [4] As some customs officials have difficulty identifying members of this genus, [4] a Lygodactylus spp. identification guide has been published online by CITES. [5]

Species

Species in alphabetical order by specific name: [2]

G. Pasteur, 1995

Lygodactylus picturatus in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The tail has been detached due to a self-defense mechanism known as autotomy. White-headed dwarf gecko.jpg
Lygodactylus picturatus in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The tail has been detached due to a self-defense mechanism known as autotomy.

L. blancae (feminine, genitive, singular) is named for (Ms) Françoise Blanc, a French geneticist; but L. blanci (masculine, genitive, singular) is named for (Mr.) Charles Pierre Blanc, a French herpetologist. [7]

Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was original described in a genus other than Lygodactylus.

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<i>Uroplatus</i> Genus of lizards

Uroplatus is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as leaf-tail geckos or flat-tailed geckos, which are endemic to Madagascar and its coastal islands, such as Nosy Be. They are nocturnal, insectivorous lizards found exclusively in primary and secondary forest.

<i>Paragehyra</i> Genus of reptiles

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<i>Calumma</i> Genus of lizards

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Cophyla is a genus of microhylid frogs endemic to Madagascar.

<i>Stumpffia</i> Genus of amphibians

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blanc's dwarf gecko</span> Species of lizard

Blanc's dwarf gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to central Madagascar. They are the least known species of dwarf geckos in Madagascar. Blanc's dwarf geckos are one out of eleven gecko species that are protected in Madagascar. Hence, collecting them is only allowed with an appropriate permit.

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<i>Guibemantis</i> Genus of amphibians

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Achille Philippe Raselimanana is a Malagasy herpetologist.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis du Preez</span> South African professor of zoology

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References

  1. "Lygodactylus ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  2. 1 2 Lygodactylus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
  3. "Lygodactylus picturatus White-headed Dwarf Gecko". Wildherps.com. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
  4. 1 2 CITES Proposal for inclusion
  5. TRAFFIC (2011). How to identify Lygodactylus williamsi: A photographic guide to the turquoise dwarf gecko. In: Wildlife Trade Handbook. TRAFFIC East/Southern Africa and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 11–17.
  6. Marques, Mariana P.; Ceríaco, Luis M.P.; Buehler, Matthew D.; Bandeira, Suzana A.; Janota, Joyce M.; Bauer, Aaron M. (2020). "A revision of the Dwarf Geckos, genus Lygodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), from Angola, with the description of three new species". Zootaxa. 4853 (3): 301–352. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4853.3.1. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   33056364. S2CID   222841571.
  7. 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. (Lygodactylus blancae and L. blanci, p. 26).

Further reading