''Dierogekko'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

geckos 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 f ...

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 ...

Diplodactylidae The Diplodactylidae are a Family (biology), family in the suborder Gekkota (geckos), with over 150 species in 25 Genus, genera. These geckos occur in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Diplodactylids are the most ecologically diverse and ...

. The genus 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 the northwest portion of

New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...

. They are sometimes known commonly as the striped geckos or the New Caledonian geckos. ''Dierogekko'' are small geckos with simple, granular scales and subdued patterning of broad longitudinal stripes or spots. They are similar in overall appearance and habit to closely related geckos in the genera ''

Bavayia ''Bavayia'' is a genus of lizards in the family Diplodactylidae. Species in the genus ''Bavayia'' are also known commonly as New Caledonian geckos or bavayias. The genus is native to the remote New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands. The 41 species a ...

'' and '' Oedodera'', and the type species ''D. validiclavis'' was once referred to ''Bavayia''. ''Dierogekko'' species occur in small, fragmented areas of humid forests and dry maquis shrubland in the

ultramafic Ultramafic rocks (also referred to as ultrabasic rocks, although the terms are not wholly equivalent) are igneous and meta-igneous rocks with a very low silica content (less than 45%), generally >18% MgO, high FeO, low potassium, and are usua ...

massifs A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of a ...

of Province Nord. They are among the most threatened lizards in the world; of the nine

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), ...

, five are

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

, three are

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, and one is

data deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

and known from only a single specimen. Threats include

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

by operational and planned

nickel mines Nickel is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and Ductility, ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive ...

, and predation, competition, or habitat degradation by

introduced species An introduced species, alien species, exotic species, adventive species, immigrant species, foreign species, non-indigenous species, or non-native species is a species living outside its native distributional range, but which has arrived ther ...

(rats, cats, deer, pigs, fire ants, ''

Hemidactylus frenatus The common house gecko (''Hemidactylus frenatus'') is a gecko native to South Asia, South and Southeast Asia as well as Near Oceania. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tiktiki, chipkali or ...

'').

Species

The genus ''Dierogekko'' contains nine

recognized as being valid: *'' Dierogekko baaba''

Skipwith Skipwith is a village and civil parish about north-east of Selby and south-east of York in North Yorkshire, England. It was historically in the East Riding of Yorkshire. After the 1974 local government reorganisation Skipwith was in the Se ...

Jackman Jackman is a surname of English origin. *Barret Jackman, Canadian ice hockey player * Bernard Jackman, Irish rugby player *Clyde Jackman, Canadian politician * Danny Jackman, English footballer * David Jackman (musician), British artist * David Ja ...

Whitaker Whitaker (also Whittaker) is a surname of English and Scottish origin, meaning the white acre, also spelled "Whittaker" and "Whitacre (disambiguation), Whitacre." Notable people with the surname include: People with the name * The Whitaker iron ...

, Bauer & Sadlier, 2014 *'' Dierogekko inexpectatus'' Bauer, Jackman, Sadlier & Whitaker, 2006 *'' Dierogekko insularis'' Bauer, Jackman, Sadlier & Whitaker, 2006 – Islands striped gecko *'' Dierogekko kaalaensis'' Bauer, Jackman, Sadlier & Whitaker, 2006 – Kaala striped gecko *'' Dierogekko koniambo'' Bauer, Jackman, Sadlier & Whitaker, 2006 – Koniambo striped gecko *'' Dierogekko nehoueensis'' Bauer, Jackman, Sadlier & Whitaker, 2006 – striped gecko *'' Dierogekko poumensis'' Bauer, Jackman, Sadlier & Whitaker, 2006 – Poum striped gecko *'' Dierogekko thomaswhitei'' Bauer, Jackman, Sadlier & Whitaker, 2006 –Taom striped gecko *'' Dierogekko validiclavis'' (Sadlier, 1988) – bold-striped gecko

Species

References

Further reading