Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko on:
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The marbled leaf-toed gecko (''Afrogecko porphyreus'') is a
''Afrogecko porphyreus'' has a mottled, greyish body, a long tail and sometimes a pale stripe along its back. However, its coloration varies from almost black-and-buff patterning, to smudged shades of buff. It is an adaptable little forager, hiding under debris, beneath bark, among rocks and even in city houses.
These geckos eat large numbers of small insects, so a population of them living on one's property serves as a natural form of pest-control. Their diet is an array of invertebrates, including feeder insects.
However, domestic cats commonly kill large numbers of these little lizards, sometimes exterminating them in a local area. They also are preyed upon by species of spiders in the genus
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 ...
found in southern and southwestern South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
(including many offshore islands) and in Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
. It is a flat, medium-sized gecko.
Description
''Afrogecko porphyreus'' has a mottled, greyish body, a long tail and sometimes a pale stripe along its back. However, its coloration varies from almost black-and-buff patterning, to smudged shades of buff. It is an adaptable little forager, hiding under debris, beneath bark, among rocks and even in city houses.
These geckos eat large numbers of small insects, so a population of them living on one's property serves as a natural form of pest-control. Their diet is an array of invertebrates, including feeder insects.
However, domestic cats commonly kill large numbers of these little lizards, sometimes exterminating them in a local area. They also are preyed upon by species of spiders in the genus Palystes
''Palystes'' is a genus of huntsman spiders, commonly called rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders, occurring in Africa, India, Australia, and the Pacific. The most common and widespread species is '' P. superciliosus'', found in South Africa, h ...
, that may be more effective gecko predators than cats are.
As in many similar gecko species, one of their major defences is autotomy
Autotomy (from the Greek ''auto-'', "self-" and ''tome'', "severing", αὐτοτομία) or 'self-amputation', is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude a predator's grasp ...
of their tails, and in some populations, nearly all mature specimens have tails either regenerated, or in the process of regeneration.
Distribution
This gecko occurs commonly in the southern parts ofSouth Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, from Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...
(where it now inhabits suburban gardens) eastwards as far as the Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...
.
''A. porphyreus'' are not aggressive or territorial, and several of them will often live together in a single retreat. These sociable lizards will even share nests, where several females will lay their eggs.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2709836 Geckos of Africa Reptiles of Namibia Reptiles of South Africa Taxa named by François Marie Daudin Gekkonidae Reptiles described in 1802