Folded geckos
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Kuhl's Folded Gecko ( Ptychozoon kuhli ) on a terrarium pane . |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Ptychozoon | ||||||||||||
| Kuhl & Van Hasselt , 1822 |
The folded geckos ( ptychozoon (= "folded animal")) are a genus of geckos . They are characterized by their ability to slide. Folded geckos live in tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia including the Philippines , the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the Nicobar Islands .
features
Folded geckos are strongly flattened lizards that can reach a maximum length of 20 cm. Their tail is almost as long as the trunk. To deter predators, the tail , which looks like a poisonous centipede , is rolled up and down ( mimicry ).
Characteristic for the genus are broad skin seams on the sides of the body, the head, the tail and the limbs, as well as webs similar to webbing between the toes. The stretched skin seams serve as a sail area and enable the lizards to glide along a little. You can change the direction of flight when gliding. The toes of the folded geckos are wide and have adhesive lamellas without a central furrow. Claws are also present. Folded geckos have a brownish camouflage color, which is an excellent camouflage on tree bark. When resting on tree trunks, the geckos press themselves flat against the ground, whereby the body contours merge with the bark structure.
species
The genus Ptychozoon currently includes 8 species:
- Horsfield's Folded Gecko ( Ptychozoon horsfieldii ) (Gray, 1827)
- Ptychozoon intermedium Taylor, 1915
- Ptychozoon kaengkrachanense Sumontha, Pauwels, Kunya, Limlikhitaksorn, Ruksue, Taokratok, Ansermet & Chanhome, 2012
- Kuhl's folded gecko ( Ptychozoon kuhli ) (Stejneger, 1902)
- Burmese Folded Gecko ( Ptychozoon lionotum ) Annandale, 1905
- Ptychozoon nicobarensis Das & Vijayakumar, 2009
- Ptychozoon rhacophorus (Boulenger, 1899)
- Ptychozoon trinotaterra Brown, 1999
literature
- Eric R. Pianka, Laurie J. Vitt: Lizards. Windows to the Evolution of Diversity (= Organisms and Environments. Vol. 5). University of California Press, Berkeley et al. 2003, ISBN 0-520-23401-4 .
- Manfred Rogner : Lizards. Volume 1: geckos, pinnipeds, agamas, chameleons and iguanas. Ulmer, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-8001-7248-8 .
