Canary gecko
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Canary Island Gecko ( Tarentola delalandii ) |
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| Tarentola delalandii | ||||||||||||
| ( Duméril & Bibron , 1836) |
The Canary Island Gecko ( Tarentola delalandii ) is a species of gecko from the Phyllodactylidae family . It is endemic to some of the Canary Islands . The epithet delalandii honors the French naturalist Pierre Antoine Delalande .
features
The Canary Island gecko is the largest gecko in the western Canary Islands. It reaches a total length of 155 millimeters. Its head-torso length is up to 73 millimeters in males, 80 millimeters are specified in exceptional cases, and up to 63.5 millimeters in females. The Canary Gecko is similar to the Wall Gecko , but the tubercle scales on the back are only weakly keeled. The appearance of the Canary Island gecko is smoother and slimmer, it looks less prickly. The muzzle is much slimmer and there are no tubercle scales on the cheeks. On the tail there are large, pointed and large tubercle scales arranged in transverse rows. The iris is yellowish to golden brown. The basic color of the upper side is variable. During the day, the basic color is usually light to dark gray. Five round, larger, light spots and five saddle-like, washed-out, darker spots can be found along the middle of the back. Young animals are more contrasted than old animals. With them the rear half of the tail is strikingly light and whitish gray.
Occurrence
The species occurs only on La Palma , Tenerife and the three small rock islands in front of Tenerife, Roque de Garachico , Roque Dentro de Anaga and Roque Fuera de Anaga . The Canarian gecko is the only native gecko species on these islands.
The Canary Gecko can be found from sea level up to 2300 meters above sea level, but preferably stays in areas between 0 and 300 meters above sea level. It inhabits open and semi-open habitats, but also towns and cities.
Way of life
On La Palma and Tenerife, the species is active all year round in low-lying areas, but hibernates in higher parts of the islands. Canary geckos are primarily crepuscular and nocturnal, but can sometimes also be found while sunbathing. Males give series calls, females give individual calls. The mating behavior is presumably similar to that of wall geckos. The breeding season extends from April to August. The females lay one or two eggs in the sand, weathered gravel or other loose soil. The eggs are 11.5 to 14 millimeters long and 9 to 11 millimeters wide. Most of the food consists of insects, especially ants and bedbugs, but also grasshoppers and caterpillars. Spiders and woodlice are also captured. Long- eared owls , barn owls and domestic cats are known to be predators .
supporting documents
- Dieter Glandt: Pocket dictionary of amphibians and reptiles in Europe. Quelle & Meyer Verlag, Wiebelsheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-494-01470-8 , pp. 537-538.
Web links
- Tarentola delalandii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Jose Antonio Mateo Miras, Valentin Pérez-Mellado, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- Tarentola delalandii in The Reptile Database
