Scaly gecko
Scaly gecko | |
---|---|
Adult individual from Tamil Nadu | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Gekkonidae |
Genus: | Hemidactylus |
Species: | H. scabriceps
|
Binomial name | |
Hemidactylus scabriceps (Annandale, 1906)
| |
The scaly gecko (Hemidactylus scabriceps) is a species of
Description
Adults of this species are relatively short and stout; forehead appears convex; snout, blunt and rounded, larger than the eyes; limbs short; a cylindrical tail, tapers towards the tip. Dorsal surface of head and neck covered with overlapping scales which are small, rounded and granular. Mental scale large; eyes laterally placed, large having a vertical pupil; iris brown; small yellow scales surrounding the eyes. Supralabial scales: 7 to 8 and infralabial scales: 6 to 8; a pair of nostrils between rostral scales. Scales on dorsum similar to those on the belly, are distinctly
Color in life
Overall, brownish but varying between yellow and red hue on dorsum, fading into a creamy white venter. The lateral portion having an indistinct pattern of mottling with black and bright yellow scales. Head mottled with white and black scales. Labial scales are straw yellow. Scales around the eye are yellow. Two parallel lines along the dorsum starting from the base of forelimbs and terminating near the tail. White crossbands along the dorsum. Limbs brown, mottled with black and white.[4]
Distribution
This species predominantly occupies semi-arid and open habitats which are dry and sometimes sandy.
Natural history
Nocturnal in habit, they are found under rocks during daytime.[4] At night, they are seen on the open ground, moving about with an upright stance. Females with two eggs have been observed in July and between December–February. They are found in dry habitats including along the coastal sand dunes. Individuals are thought to be territorial with two males making a 'chirping call' accompanied by an arched body, stretched legs and waving their tails while lunging at the neck of the other individual occasionally.[6]
Evolutionary history
In the absence of molecular evidence, this species was incorrectly assigned to different genera; however, recent phylogenetic analysis has placed this species in the genus Hemidactylus.[5][6] This species is thought to have diverged from its common ancestor around 35 million years ago and its range expansion into Sri Lanka is likely to have happened in the Late Miocene.[5]
References
- ^ Ganesh, S.R., Achyuthan, N.S., Jayasekara, D., Vidanapathirana, D., Kannishka, S., Wickramasinghe, L.J.M., Samarawickrama, P., Botejue, M., Gabadage, D., Karunarathna, S., Pushpamal, V., Perera, N., de Alwis Goonatilake, S. & Wikramanyake, S. (2021). "Hemidactylus scabriceps". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T178314A1531148. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Annandale, Nelson 1906. Notes on the fauna of a desert tract in southern India. Part. I. Batrachians and reptiles, with remarks on the reptiles of the desert region of the North-West Frontier. Mem Asiatic Soc Bengal Calcutta 1: 183-202
- ^ a b Ganesh, S. R., & Chandramouli, S. R. (2010). Rediscovery of Hemidactylus scabriceps (Annandale, 1906)(Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Eastern Tamil Nadu, India. Russian Journal of Herpetology, 17(1), 70-74.
- ^ a b c d e Ganesh, S. R., Rameshwaran, M., Joseph, N. A., & Jerith, A. M. (2017). On two little-known terrestrial South Asian geckoes Hemidactylus reticulatus and Hemidactylus scabriceps (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Journal of Threatened Taxa, 9(5), 10171-10177.
- ^ .
- ^ a b c "View of Appearances are deceptive: molecular phylogeny recovers the Scaly Gecko Hemidactylus scabriceps (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) as a member of a scansorial and rupicolous clade". threatenedtaxa.org. Retrieved 2018-10-12.