''Lygodactylus grandisonae'', also known
commonly as Bunty's dwarf gecko, Grandison's dwarf gecko, and the Kenya 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
lizard
Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...
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 native to
East Africa
East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...
and the
Horn of Africa
The Horn of Africa (HoA), also known as the Somali Peninsula, is a large peninsula and geopolitical region in East Africa.Robert Stock, ''Africa South of the Sahara, Second Edition: A Geographical Interpretation'', (The Guilford Press; 2004), ...
.
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 ...
, ''grandisonae'', is in honor of British herpetologist
Alice Georgie Cruickshank "Bunty" Grandison (1927–2014).
[Anonymous (2014). "The Passing of Alice G. C. Grandison". ''American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Current News''. asih.org/news/2014/passing-alice-g-c-grandison.]
Geographic range
''L. grandisonae'' is found in
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
and
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...
of ''Lygodactylus grandisonae'' is
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...
, at an altitude of .
Reproduction
''L. grandisonae'' is
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 ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Largen MJ, Spawls S (2010). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea''. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 694 pp. . (''Lygodactylus grandisonae'', p. 324).
* 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 grandisonae'', new species). (in French).
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)''". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Lygodactylus grandisonae'', p. 93). (in German).
*Spawls S, Howell K, Hinkel H, Menegon M (2018). ''Field Guide to East African Reptiles, Second Edition''. London: Bloomsbury Natural History. 624 pp. . (''Lygodactylus grandisonae'', p. 104).
Lygodactylus
Reptiles described in 1962
Reptiles of Ethiopia
Reptiles of Kenya
{{Lygodactylus-stub