Gekko

Gekko
	Tokeh ( Gekko gecko )
Systematics
without rank:	Sauropsida
Superordinate :	Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order :	Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank:	Geckos (gekkota)
Family :	Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Genre :	Gekko
Scientific name
	Gekko
	Laurenti , 1768

Gekko is a genus of small lizards from the gecko family. The representatives of the genus are nocturnal and mainly adapted to untouched habitats, but partly synanthropically adapted to human settlement areas.

features

Adult specimens reach a head-trunk length of 5 to 19.1 cm, the head-trunk length is equal to or less than the tail length. The head is clearly separated from the neck and flattened dorsoventrally to different degrees depending on the species . The snout is wider than it is long and concave in the area of the paired nostrils. Gekko eyes are large with transparent glasses , the pupils are slit vertically. The body is cylindrical to slightly flattened dorsoventrally, the belly flat. The rear limbs are longer than the front. The broad fingers and toes are well developed, and all are equipped with undivided scansoria (adhesive lamellae). Digitus I (thumb, big toe) is missing the claw. Skin between the toes is rudimentary to clearly present. The tail base is not or only slightly thickened and round or slightly flattened dorsoventrally, unregenerated tail with more or less pronounced whorls. The top of the body is granular, tubercles are present or absent on the head, body, limbs and dorsal surface of the tail. The hemipenis is elongated, divided at the tip with two lobes of the same size.

The basic color is mainly brown in various shades, together with gray, yellow, green and red. Only a few species have a uniform gray, brown or green basic color. The head is with or without a drawing, the drawing is usually Y or W-shaped. Dorsally there are mostly bands or spots, some species also show symmetrical or asymmetrical light spots. Stripes as drawings, as for example in Gekko vittatus , are rare. The tail is more or less banded. Young animals usually have clear, high-contrast light and dark tail bands.

The embryoa have paired egg teeth that stand together at the tip.

distribution

Representatives of this genus mainly populate the Indomalayan area from India in the west to Korea in the east and south to the Solomon Islands (Santa Cruz Islands) and Vanuatu . Through human influence, the tokeh ( Gekko gecko ) and other species were introduced around the world via shipping , with many populations not having established themselves outside of their natural range. About half of the Gekko species are distributed exclusively on the Asian mainland (Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam), the other species on the islands of Indonesia, Japan, Papua -New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Palau, Taiwan, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu as well as Brunei (Borneo) and East Timor. Only a few Gekko species occur on the mainland and on islands.

Habitat and way of life

Gekko species inhabit trees and rocks. The clutch consists of one or two lime-shell eggs that are glued to a hard substrate such as wood or stones. Some Gekko species show brood care.

Research history and species

The taxonomy of the genus began in 1768 with the genus diagnosis Laurentis, which was based in part on Seba's (1734) information and illustrations . At the end of the 19th century only eight species belonged to the genus, only through Taylor's research in the Philippines (1920-1921) and in Thailand (1958-1960) the genus was changed to five species and later by Brown and Alcala between 1962 and 1978 , also in the Philippines, added three more species. The most recent overview of the gecko family by Kluge (2001) lists 28 species and from 2004 to 2011 another 14 species were described. However, the phylogenetics of the genus remains poorly known and largely unsolved, and a comprehensive review of the species is still lacking.

Six morphological or phenotypic groups of species are distinguished: The Gekko gecko , Gekko japonicus , Gekko monarchus , Gekko petricolus , Gekko porosus and the Gekko vittatus group. The Reptile Database currently lists the following 58 species for the genus Gekko :

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Herbert Rösler et al. : Phylogeny, taxonomy, and zoogeography of the genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768 with the revalidation of G. reevesii Gray, 1831 (Sauria: Gekkonidae). 2011 in Zootaxa 2989, pp. 1-50. ( Online )
^ Rudolf Malkmus, Ulrich Manthey, Gernot Vogel, Peter Hoffmann, Joachim Kosuch: Amphibians & reptiles of Mount Kinabalu (North Borneo). Gantner, Vaduz 2002, ISBN 3-904144-83-9 , p. 260.
↑ Gekko in The Reptile Database ; Retrieved April 20, 2015.
↑ Jian-Huan Yang: A new species of the genus Gekko Laurenti (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Guangxi, China. Zootaxa 3936 (2): 287-295, 2015.

Web links

Commons : Gekko - collection of images, videos and audio files

Gekko in The Reptile Database
Integrated Taxonomic Information System Gekko

[Rösler_et_al-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Herbert Rösler et al. : Phylogeny, taxonomy, and zoogeography of the genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768 with the revalidation of G. reevesii Gray, 1831 (Sauria: Gekkonidae). 2011 in Zootaxa 2989, pp. 1-50. ( Online )

[Malkmus-2] Rudolf Malkmus, Ulrich Manthey, Gernot Vogel, Peter Hoffmann, Joachim Kosuch: Amphibians & reptiles of Mount Kinabalu (North Borneo). Gantner, Vaduz 2002, ISBN 3-904144-83-9 , p. 260.

[rd-3] Gekko in The Reptile Database ; Retrieved April 20, 2015.

[Yang-4] Jian-Huan Yang: A new species of the genus Gekko Laurenti (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Guangxi, China. Zootaxa 3936 (2): 287-295, 2015.