''Phyllopezus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

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 throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Phyllodactylidae The Phyllodactylidae are a family of geckos (Gekkota) consisting of over 150 species in 10 genera, distributed throughout the New World, North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The family was first delineated based on a molecular phylogenetic a ...

. The genus contains eight described

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

.Gamble T, Colli GR, Rodrigues MT, Werneck FP, Simons AM (2012). "Phylogeny and cryptic diversity in geckos (''Phyllopezus''; Phyllodactylidae; Gekkota) from South America's open biomes". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 62: 943–953. Rodrigues MT (1986). "''Um novo espécie do gênero'' Phyllopezus ''de Cabaceiras: Paraiba: Brasil; com comentários sobre a fauna de lagartos da área (Sauria, Gekkonidae)''". ''Pap. Avulsos Zool. (Sao Paulo)'' 36: 237–250. (''Phyllopezus periosus'', new species). (in Portuguese).Koch C, Venegas P, Böhme W (2006). "A remarkable discovery: description of a big-growing new gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: ''Phyllopezus'') from northwestern Peru". ''Salamandra'' 42: 145–150. (''Phyllopezus maranjoensis'', new species).

Habitat

''Phyllopezus'' species occur in a variety of open and forested habitats across

including

Caatinga Caatinga (, ) is a type of semi-arid tropical vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in interior northeastern Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation" (''caa'' = forest, v ...

Cerrado The ''Cerrado'' (, ) is a vast ecoregion of tropical savanna in eastern Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais, and the Federal District. The core areas of the Cerrado biome are ...

, Chaco, seasonally dry tropical forest, and

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and t ...

Species and geographic ranges

The following species are recognized as being valid.. www.reptile-database.org. *''

Phyllopezus diamantino ''Phyllopezus diamantino'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both ...

'' *''

Phyllopezus heuteri ''Phyllopezus heuteri'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Paraguay. Geographic range ''P. heuteri'' is found in Cordillera Department, Paraguay. Etymology The specific name Specific name ...

'' – Heuter's gecko –

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

*''

Phyllopezus lutzae Lutz's gecko (''Phyllopezus lutzae''), also known commonly as Bogert's gecko and Lutz' marked gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Brazil. Etymology The specific name, ''lutzae'', is in honor ...

'' – Lutz's gecko, Bogert's gecko, Lutz' marked gecko –

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

*''

Phyllopezus maranjonensis ''Phyllopezus maranjonensis'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Peru. Geographic range ''P. maranjonensis'' is found in Chachapoyas Province, Amazonas Department, Peru. Description ''P. m ...

'' –

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

*'' Phyllopezus periosus'' –

Paraíba Paraíba ( Tupi: ''pa'ra a'íba''; ) is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíb ...

gecko, Peraiba gecko – Brazil *''

Phyllopezus pollicaris The Brazilian gecko (''Phyllopezus pollicaris'') is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to South America. The Brazilian Gecko feeds mostly on arthropods specifically Diptera. Geographic range ''P. ...

'' – Brazilian gecko –

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Brazil *'' Phyllopezus przewalskii'' – Przewalsky's gecko – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay *'' Phyllopezus selmae'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atte ...

'': An

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Phyllopezus''.

Habitat

Species and geographic ranges

References

Further reading