Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 to 60 centimetres.
Gekkonidae is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (Hemidactylus), the tokay gecko (Gekko), day geckos (Phelsuma), the mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus), and dtellas (Gehyra). Gekkonid geckos occur globally and are particularly diverse in tropical areas. Many species of these geckos exhibit an adhering ability to surfaces through van der vaals forces utilizing intermolecular forces between molecules of their setae and molecules of the surface they are on.
Pygopodidae, commonly known as snake-lizards, or flap-footed lizards, are a family of legless lizards with reduced or absent limbs, and are a type of gecko. The 47 species are placed in two subfamilies and eight genera. They have unusually long, slender bodies, giving them a strong resemblance to snakes. Like snakes and most geckos, they have no eyelids, but unlike snakes, they have external ear holes and flat, unforked tongues. They are native to Australia and New Guinea.
Gonatodes is a genus of New World dwarf geckos of the family Sphaerodactylidae.
Pachydactylus is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 58 distinct species identified when compared to other closely related gecko genera like Rhoptropus, most of which have emerged since 35Ma. It has been suggested that the reason for this rich speciation not from adaptive radiation nor nonadaptive radiation, but that the genus represents a clade somewhere between the two drivers of speciation. P. bibronii geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation.
Lutz's gecko, also known commonly as Bogert's gecko and Lutz' marked gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Brazil.
Coleodactylus is a genus of South American geckos.
Matoatoa is a small genus of geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Madagascar.
Phyllopezus is a genus of South American geckos, lizards in the family Phyllodactylidae. The genus contains eight described species.
Bavayia is a genus of lizards in the family Diplodactylidae. Species in the genus Bavayia are also known commonly as New Caledonian geckos or bavayias. The genus is native to the remote New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands. The 41 species are moderately small to medium-sized geckos, and are distinguished from other genera by their tail length and the shape of their digits.
Oedura is a genus of medium to large geckos, lizards in the family Diplodactylidae. The genus is endemic to Australia. Species in the genus are referred to by the common name velvet geckos.
Hemidactylus prashadi, also known commonly as the Bombay leaf-toed gecko or Prashad's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.
The Eublepharidae are a family of geckos (Gekkota) consisting of 43 described species in 6 genera. They occur in Asia, Africa, North America, and Central America. Eublepharid geckos lack adhesive toepads and, unlike other geckos, have movable eyelids, thus commonly called eyelid geckos. Like other members of Gekkota, the Eublepharidae exhibits tail autotomy due to the fracture planes near their vent. A new tail will then grow in its place, usually lacking the original color and texture. The muscles in the old tail will continue to flex for up to 30 minutes after the drop to distract predators. Leopard geckos and African fat-tailed geckos are popular pet lizards.
The Carphodactylidae, informally known as the southern padless geckos, are a family of geckos, lizards in the infraorder Gekkota. The family consists of 34 described species in 7 genera, all of which are endemic to Australia. They belong to the superfamily Pygopodoidea, an ancient group of east Gondwanan geckos now only found in Australasia. Despite their well-developed limbs, molecular phylogenies have demonstrated that Carphodactylidae is the sister group to Pygopodidae, a highly specialized family of legless lizards.
The Sphaerodactylidae are a family of geckos (Gekkota) distributed in North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, as well as in Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and into Central Asia. The family contains 12 living genera and over 200 living species. The family name comes from the ball shape of their finger joints.
The Brazilian pygmy gecko is a species of South American lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is monotypic in the genus Chatogekko. It grows to a maximum total length of only 24 millimetres (0.94 in). It is found in leaf litter on the forest floor, and preys on springtails and mites. The species is oviparous.
The Diplodactylidae are a family in the suborder Gekkota (geckos), with over 150 species in 25 genera. These geckos occur in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Diplodactylids are the most ecologically diverse and widespread family of geckos in both Australia and New Caledonia, and are the only family of geckos found in New Zealand. Three diplodactylid genera have recently been split into multiple new genera.
Amalosia is a genus of lizards in the family Diplodactylidae. The genus is endemic to Australia. It includes four species:
Vankampen's gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to New Guinea.
Pygopodoidea is a gecko superfamily and the only taxon in the gekkotan subclade Pygopodomorpha. The clade includes three Australasian families: Diplodactylidae, Carphodactylidae, and Pygopodidae. Traditional gekkotan systematics had considered Diplodactylidae and Carphodactylidae as subfamilies of the family Gekkonidae, but recent molecular work have placed Pygopodidae within Gekkonidae making it paraphyletic. These analyses have shown support of Pygopodidae and Carphodactylidae being sister taxa, with Diplodactylidae occupying a basal position in Pygopodoidea.
