Half-finger geckos

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Half-finger geckos
European half finger (Hemidactylus turcicus)

European half finger ( Hemidactylus turcicus )

Systematics
without rank: Sauropsida
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank: Geckos (gekkota)
Family : Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Genre : Half-finger geckos
Scientific name
Hemidactylus
Gray , 1825

The species-rich genus of the half-finger geckos ( Hemidactylus ) belongs to the gecko family (Gekkonidae). The original range of the genus lies in southern Europe, Africa and Asia. The only European species is the European half-finger ( Hemidactylus turcicus ), which was spread throughout the Mediterranean region by the Greeks and Romans and later worldwide by European colonialism. The animals have often colonized new regions as stowaways on ships, including the American double continent and the islands of the Pacific. The African house gecko ( Hemidactylus brookii ) and the Asian house gecko ( Hemidactylus frenatus ) are particularly widespread . The original occurrence of some widespread species can no longer be determined.

Drawing of a foot of Hemidactylus frenatus with adhesive lamellae and claws on the toes

features

Half-finger geckos grow four to eight inches long. The tail length corresponds to the head-trunk length . Common features are the lidless eyes and the toes with both adhesive lamellas and claws. They are usually brown or gray-pink in color. Your pupils are vertical.

Way of life

Half-finger geckos live on rocks, logs, and dry stone walls . They reproduce oviparously (lay eggs). In the genus there are some species that reproduce through parthenogenesis (virgin generation). In these species there are only females who reproduce asexually and whose eggs develop from unfertilized egg cells.

species

literature

  • Chris Mattison: Lizards of the World. Facts On File, New York NY et al. 1989, ISBN 0-8160-1900-2 .
  • Eric R. Pianka, Laurie J. Vitt: Lizards. Windows to the Evolution of Diversity (= Organisms and Environments. Vol. 5). University of California Press, Berkeley CA 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 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Pianka & Vitt (2003), p. 119.
  2. a b c Jiří Šmíd, Jiří Moravec, Lukáš Kratochvíl, Abdul K. Nasher, Tomáš Mazuch, Václav Gvoždík, Salvador Carranza: Multilocus phylogeny and taxonomic revision of the Hemidactylus robustus species group (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) with descriptions of three new species Yemen and Ethiopia . Systematics and Biodiversity 2015: 1–23, doi : 10.1080 / 14772000.2014.996264 .

Web links

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