Transvaal rock gecko
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| Transvaal rock gecko | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Genus: | Afroedura |
| Species: | A. transvaalica |
| Binomial name | |
| Afroedura transvaalica (Hewitt, 1925) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Transvaal rock gecko (Afroedura transvaalica) is a species of gecko endemic to Southern Africa.[1][2]
Common names[edit]
Additional common names for Afroedura transvaalica include Limpopo flat gecko, Transvaal flat gecko, and Zimbabwe flat gecko.[1]
Taxonomy[edit]
It was originally described as a new species and given its binomial name by South African herpetologist John Hewitt in 1925.[1]
Geographic range[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Transvaal flat geckos are very social geckos and nocturnal; they hide during the day under flakes of rock.[2]
Diet[edit]
A. transvaalica is insectivorous and will tackle large beetles, crickets, and grasshoppers.[2]
Breeding[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
- ^ a b c "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[edit]
- 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).