Caspian straight finger gecko

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Caspian straight finger gecko
A Caspian straight finger gecko from Mongolia.

A Caspian straight finger gecko from Mongolia.

Systematics
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank: Geckos (gekkota)
Family : Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Genre : Alsophylax
Type : Caspian straight finger gecko
Scientific name
Alsophylax pipiens
( Pallas , 1814)

The Caspian straight-fingered gecko ( Alsophylax pipiens ) is a gecko from the genus Alsophylax and lives in Central Asia.

features

The total length is just under 9 cm. This makes the species the second smallest lizard in Europe after the European leaf finger gecko . The species differs from the other European geckos in that its toes are straight and not widened. The head and trunk are slightly flattened, the head is relatively large, the body is slender. The color is pale yellowish or brown on top, sometimes gray-brown, with five broad, faded transverse bands that can also be broken up in rows of spots. The underside is whitish, often with a lemon yellow tinge. The neck, back and the base of the tail are covered with relatively small grain scales, between which larger, slightly arched, smooth or slightly keeled tubercles are irregularly distributed.

distribution

The distribution area of Alsophylax pipiens .

The distribution of the Caspian straight-finger gecko extends from the Russian Oblast Astrakhan via Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan and northern Turkmenistan to Kyrgyzstan , southern Mongolia and northwestern China .

The only occurrence in Europe is the mountain Bogdo on the left lower reaches of the Volga . Here the species is found mainly in the crevices and cracks at the foot of the limestone or clay slopes, but it is also found in the stony mugwort steppe.

The species is found up to a maximum of 1500 m above sea level in the rocky part of the Gobi desert .

Way of life

The hibernation, which takes place in deep cavities or crevices, lasts from October / November to March / April. The otherwise nocturnal animals are only active during the day in spring when the weather is cloudy. Between the end of May and the end of June, the females lay eggs several times, sometimes two. The young appear from July. The males emit a metallic whistle at night, sometimes during the day, which resembles a bird's call.

Danger

The IUCN lists the species as not endangered ( least concern ) with a stable population. In the Russian part of the range, the species is endangered by the destruction of its natural habitats.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dieter Glandt: The amphibians and reptiles of Europe: All kinds in portrait. 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2015, pp. 314-315, ISBN 978-3-494-01581-1 .
  2. ↑ Alsophylax pipiens in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2019. Posted by: N .B. Ananjeva, NL Orlov, T. Papenfuss, G. Nilson, K. Terbish, T. Dujsebayeva, M. Munkhbaatar, D. Melnikov, A. Shestopal, Y. Wang & L. Shi, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2020.

literature

  • Dieter Glandt: The amphibians and reptiles of Europe: All kinds in portrait. 2nd, updated and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2015, pp. 314-315, ISBN 978-3-494-01581-1 .

Web links