Peking gecko

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Peking gecko
Gekko swinhonis 234848145.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Gekkota
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Gekko
Species:
G. swinhonis
Binomial name
Gekko swinhonis
Günther, 1864
Gekko swinhonis distribution.png
Synonyms [2]

The Peking gecko (Gekko swinhonis) is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to China. [2]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, swinhonis, is in honor of English naturalist Robert Swinhoe. [3]

Geographic range

G. swinhonis occurs in northern China, north of the Yangtze River. [1] But they had also been introduced to Incheon, South Korea via ships.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of G. swinhonis are arid and moist grasslands and plains. [1]

Reproduction

G. swinhonis is oviparous. [2]

Taxonomy

The species G. swinhonis was first described by British herpetologist Albert Günther in 1864. [2]

Conservation status

G. swinhonis has been assessed as "Vulnerable" due to an inferred 30% population decline over the last three generations due to harvest levels. This species has a relatively wide distribution but it is exploited for traditional medicine and is impacted by habitat loss and degradation. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Yan, J. (2021). "Gekko swinhonis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021 e.T178208A127944524. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T178208A127944524.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gekko swinhonis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 15 May 2018.
  3. 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. (Gekko swinhonis, p. 258).

Further reading