Lepidodactylus lugubris

Mourning gecko
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Lepidodactylus
Species: L. lugubris
Binomial name
Lepidodactylus lugubris
(Duméril & Bibron, 1836)

The mourning gecko or common smooth-scaled gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris) is a species of gecko. This small (10.5 cm total length), nocturnal gecko feeds on small insects and flower nectar. This species is notable because it is parthenogenic, and there are no remaining males that have been found. Females engage in pseudocopulation, stimulating both to produce viable eggs. These eggs are adhered to surfaces in protected locations. Most clutches consist of two eggs, and clutches are laid two to three weeks apart.

Distribution

This species are always found in coastal areas of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, West Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Fiji, Australia (islands of Cocos [Keeling] atoll, Queensland), Western Samoa, Guam, the Society Islands and the Mascarenes (Rodrigues; fide F. Glaw, pers. comm.).

It has been introduced into west Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Galapagos (Ecuador), Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, Hawaii (the U.S.A) and the Seychelles.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, April 21, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.