Heteronotia binoei
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Heteronotia binoei |
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| ( Gray , 1845) |
Heteronotia binoei (eng. Bynoe's gecko ) is a small representative of the geckos ( Gekkonidae )native to Australia. What is special about the species is the varying coloring and the structure and drawing of the skin. The scales on the back crest (protruding spine ) are small and prickly. This external characteristic gives it its alternative name " cactus gecko " (eng. " Prickly gecko "). A phenomenon in reproduction is that in some populations the females reproduce exclusively asexually . During the day, the nocturnal animals crawl into their hiding places in various places, such as B. under tree trunks, in strange underground tunnels, under rocks and even under human garbage.
description
The animals of this species vary greatly in their appearance. The body color ranges from brown to reddish-brown, through gray and also yellowish-brown, to black. The skin is not monochrome, but is usually patterned irregularly with light and dark stripes, spots and spots. Heteronotia binoei has a characteristic stripe on both halves of the face, which arises at the corner of the mouth and runs over the eyes to the neck. The small lizards have a narrow body and a long, narrow tail. Overall, its head-torso length is up to 5.4 cm and with tail about 12 cm. Its thin toes have strong claws , but unlike many other gecko species, they have a receding toe pad. In addition to the scales, the back is also covered with enlarged tubercles , which are scattered in an irregular pattern. This unequal pattern distinguishes the species from the other representatives of the genus Heteronotia , since the tubercles in the other species are arranged in rows. As is typical for all geckos, Heteronotia binoei also has a relatively large head and large eyes. However, the eyelids are missing, instead there is a transparent scale in place. Since the gecko cannot blink, it keeps its eyes clean by licking the cornea with its tongue. They have well developed vocal cords and are therefore able to produce a wide variety of tones. It is assumed that some undescribed subspecies of Heteronotia binoei still exist.
behavior
The nocturnal animals leave their hiding place after dark. They hunt for insects and other invertebrates that live under leaves or on grassy areas / fields. The animals, which live almost exclusively on the ground, can also climb trees and rocks on occasion. Heteronotia binoei is able to flee very quickly in the event of danger or disturbance. Like other Australian geckos, Heteronotia binoei is also a victim of its natural predators (e.g. predatory fish ) and of the introduced predators (e.g. fox , domestic cat , etc.). The populations can easily put away the sacrifices by the natural enemies, but the new enemies kill too many so that the animals very slowly become fewer. In some parts of Australia it has been reported that males peak in reproduction between July and September, while females' eggs were not found until September through January. The females lay two eggs under stones, in hollow tree trunks or in caves of other animals. The shell of the egg is soft, but it hardens and becomes brittle when exposed to air. The young geckos reach sexual maturity in about one to three years. Heteronotia binoei is an unusual species, as some females in its population can produce asexual offspring from unfertilized eggs. This extraordinary process is called parthenogenesis . These populations only contain females that are able to reproduce without males. Interestingly, both the sexual and asexual populations are both widespread across the Australian continent. The asexual populations are mainly found in the central and western deserts . The distribution areas of the sexually different populations overlap in areas.
distribution
Heteronotia binoei is endemic to Australia, where it is distributed almost across the continent. The small gecko is even native to the offshore islands along the west coast, such as Barrow Island .
habitat
The gecko lives in a wide variety of arid and open habitats across Australia. Most often it lives in the forest, in grassland and in destroyed habitats, such as z. B. Fields and fields. The species living on land find refuge in almost any terrain. They can be found in the ground vegetation, on tree stumps, under stones, in termite mounds or under loose bark on tree trunks and in animal caves. They even find shelter under man-made rubble.
Danger
Thanks to its wide distribution area , the Heteronotia binoei has not yet been classified by the IUCN .
threat
Heteronotia binoei is one of the most common lizards in Australia . It is not known whether the species could be critically endangered in the longer term .
protection
No special protective measures are currently known for the conservation of this species. All reptile species living there are under protection on Barrow Island , including Heteronotia binoei .
Web links
- Heteronotia binoei in The Reptile Database
- www.arod.com.au
- Heteronotia binoei at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)
- www.wildherps.com
- www.reptarium.cz
- www.arkive.org
- lifg.australianmuseum.net.au
Individual evidence
- ↑ Steve Wilson: A Field Guide to Reptiles of Queensland. Reed New Holland, Sydney. New Holland Australia, Sydney 2005, ISBN 1-876334-97-5 .
- ↑ Michael Swan, Simon Watharow: Snakes, Lizards and Frogs of the Victorian Mallee. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2005, ISBN 0-643-09134-3 .
- ^ Dorian Moro, Isobel MacAulay: A Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Barrow Island. Chevron Australia, Perth 2010, ISBN 978-0-9871120-2-6 , digital version (PDF; 2.07 MB) ( Memento of the original from November 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked . Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ Ted Johansen: A Field Guide to the Geckos of Northern Territory. AuthorHouse, Bloomington IN 2012, ISBN 978-1-4670-0112-0 .
- ↑ Tim Halliday, Kraig Adler (Ed.): The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2002, ISBN 0-19-852507-9 .
- ↑ Steve K. Wilson: Australian Lizards. A natural history. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne 2012, ISBN 978-0-643-10640-6 .
- ↑ Eric R. Pianka, Helen D. Pianka: Comparative Ecology of Twelve Species of Nocturnal Lizards (Gekkonidae) in the Western Australian Desert. Vol. 1976, No. 1, 1976, pp. 125-142, doi : 10.2307 / 1443783 .
- ^ Robert B. Clerke, Ross A. Alford: Reproductive Biology of Four Species of Tropical Australian Lizards and Comments on the Factors Regulating Lizard Reproductive Cycles. In: Journal of Herpetology. Vol. 27, No. 4, 1993, pp. 400-406, doi : 10.2307 / 1564826 .
- ↑ Craig Moritz, Stephen Donnellan, Mark Adams, Peter R. Baverstock: The Origin and Evolution of Parthenogenesis in Heteronotia binoei (Gekkonidae): Extensive Genotypic Diversity Among Parthenogens. In: evolution. Vol. 43, No. 5, 1989, pp. 994-1003, doi : 10.2307 / 2409580 .
- ↑ John C. Avise: Clonality. The Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution of Sexual Abstinence in Vertebrate Animals. Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2008, ISBN 978-0-19-536967-0 .
