Bernard's dwarf gecko
(''Lygodactylus bernardi''), also
commonly known as FitzSimons' dwarf gecko, is a
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
of
gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from .
Geckos are unique among lizards ...
, a lizard in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), the tokay gecko (''Ge ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
.
[
]
Etymology
The specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''bernardi'', is in honor of British archaeologist Bernard Evelyn Buller Fagg.[(''Lygodactylus bernardi'', p. 24).]
Geographic range
''L. bernardi'' is endemic to eastern Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
.[ '' Lygodactylus bonsi'' from Malawi was originally described as a ]subspecies
In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of ''L. bernardi''.
Description
Dorsally
Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position provi ...
, ''L. bernardi'' is olive with pale spots. Ventrally, it is bluish-white on the throat, yellow on the belly, and orange to orange-brown on the tail.[
Adults are only in snout-to-vent length (SVL).]
Reproduction
''L. bernardi'' is an oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that reproduce by depositing fertilized zygotes outside the body (i.e., by laying or spawning) in metabolically independent incubation organs known as eggs, which nurture the embryo into moving offsprings kno ...
species.[
]
References
Further reading
* Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Lygodactylus bernardi'', p. 246 + Plate 90).
* FitzSimons V (1958). "On a small collection of reptiles and amphibians from the Inyanga District, S. Rhodesia". ''Occasional Papers of the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia'' 3: 204–214. (''Lygodactylus bernardi'', new species).
* Pasteur G (1962). "''Notes préliminaires sur les lygodactyles (gekkonidés). II. Diagnose de quelques ''Lygodactylus'' d'Afrique''". ''Bulletin de l'Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire'' 24: 606–614. (''Lygodactylus bernardi bonsi'', new subspecies). (in French).
Lygodactylus
Geckos of Africa
Reptiles of Zimbabwe
Endemic fauna of Zimbabwe
Taxa named by Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons
Reptiles described in 1958
Fauna of the Eastern Highlands
{{Lygodactylus-stub