Marbled leaf-toed gecko
This article includes a list of general references, but it remains largely unverified because it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (August 2016) |
Marbled leaf-toed gecko | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Gekkonidae |
Genus: | Afrogecko |
Species: | A. porphyreus
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Binomial name | |
Afrogecko porphyreus (Daudin, 1802)
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Synonyms | |
Gecko porphyreus Daudin, 1802 Phyllodactylus porphyreus (Daudin, 1802) |
The marbled leaf-toed gecko[2] (Afrogecko porphyreus) is a gecko found in southern and southwestern South Africa (including many offshore islands) and in Namibia.[3] It is a flat, medium-sized gecko.
Description[]
It has a mottled, greyish body, a long tail and sometimes a pale stripe along its back. It is an adaptable little forager, hiding under debris, beneath bark, among rocks and even in city houses.
These geckos eat large numbers of small insects, so a population of them living on one's property serves as a natural form of pest-control. However, domestic cats - as introduced predators - will usually kill large numbers of these little lizards, often exterminating them from the immediate area. Their diet is an array of invertebrates, including feeder insects.
Distribution[]
This gecko occurs commonly in the southern parts of South Africa, from Cape Town (where it now inhabits suburban gardens) eastwards as far as the Eastern Cape.
A. porphyreus are not aggressive or territorial, and several of them will often live together in a single retreat. These sociable lizards will even share nests, where several females will lay their eggs.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Afrogecko porphyreus. |
References[]
- ^ Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R. (2018). "Afrogecko porphyreus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T169704A115655679. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T169704A115655679.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Afrogecko porphyreus (Marbled leaf-toed gecko)". Biodiversity Explorer. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ Afrogecko porphyreus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 23 August 2016.
- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Geckos of Africa
- Reptiles of Namibia
- Reptiles of South Africa
- Taxa named by François Marie Daudin
- Afrogecko
- Reptiles described in 1802