Transvaal rock gecko
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2015) |
| Transvaal rock gecko | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Subphylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Suborder: | |
| Infraorder: | |
| Family: | |
| Subfamily: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: | A. transvaalica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Afroedura transvaalica (Hewitt, 1925)
| |
| Synonyms | |
The Transvaal flat gecko (Afroedura transvaalica) is a species of gecko endemic to Southern Africa.[1][2]
Common names
Additional common names for Afroedura transvaalica include Limpopo flat gecko, Transvaal rock gecko, and Zimbabwe flat gecko.[1]
Taxonomy
A. transvaalica was originally described as a new species and given its binomial name by South African herpetologist John Hewitt in 1925.[1]
Geographic range
Both the specific name, transvaalica, and the English common name, Transvaal flat gecko, are misnomers, in a sense, as A. transvaalica occurs almost exclusively in Zimbabwe; however small populations with small distributions occur in northern Limpopo, South Africa and in north-western Mozambique. The largest part of its range, 90% or more, covers Zimbabwe, and it is one of the species that make up Zimbabwe's endemic and near-endemic gecko fauna.[citation needed]
Habitat
A. transvaalica occurs in mesic savanna across Zimbabwe,[2] neither at high nor low altitude,[citation needed] rather associated with granite and sandstone outcrops,[2] at altitudes of 1,000 to 1,800 metres (3,300 to 5,900 ft).[citation needed]
Behaviour
Transvaal flat geckos are very social geckos and nocturnal; they hide during the day under flakes of rock.[2]
Diet
A. transvaalica is insectivorous and will tackle large beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers.[2]
Breeding
Sexual mature females of A. transvaalica lay a pair of hard-shelled eggs usually in a communal nesting site.[2] The eggs are soft and adhesive when first laid.[citation needed]
Subspecies
No subspecies is recognized. The race formerly known as Afroedura t. loveridgei has been raised to full species status as Afroedura loveridgei.[2] It occurs only in suitable habitat around Tete in the Zambesi River Valley.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "Afroedura transvaalica ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Branch, Bill 2004. Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Afroedura transvaalica, p. 236 + Plate 88; A. loveridgei, p. 236).
Further reading
- Hewitt J. 1925. On some new species of Reptiles and Amphibians from South Africa. Records of the Albany Museum (Grahamstown, South Africa) 3: 343-370. (Oedura transvaalica, new species, p. 350).
.png){kind=small} | This article about a gecko is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |