''Pristurus phillipsii'', known
commonly as Phillip's rock gecko or the Somali rock gecko, is a
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 ...
of
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 ...
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 ...
Sphaerodactylidae
The Sphaerodactylidae are a family of geckos (Gekkota) distributed in North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, as well as in Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and into Central Asia. The family contains 12 ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...
to 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 ...
, ''phillipsii'', is in honor of British naturalist
Ethelbert Lort Phillips.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Pristurus phillipsii'', p. 206).]
Geographic range
''P. phillipsii'' is found in
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...
.
[ The Reptile Databases lists it also from ]Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...
.
Reproduction
''P. phillipsii'' is oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Arnold EN (2009). "Relationships, evolution and biogeography of Semaphore geckos, ''Pristurus'' (Squamata, Sphaerodactylidae) based on morphology". ''Zootaxa'' 2060: 1-21.
* Boulenger GA (1895). "On the Reptiles and Batrachians obtained by Mr. E. Lort-Phillips in Somaliland". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Sixth Series'' 16: 165-169 + Plate VII. (''Pristurus phillipsii'', new species, pp. 165–166 + Plate VII, figures 1, 1a).
* Calabresi E (1915). "''Contributo alla conoscenza dei Rettili della Somalia'' ". ''Monitore Zoologico Italiano'' 28: 234–247. (''Pristurus phillipsii'', pp. 235–236). (in Italian).
*Mazuch, Tomáš (2013). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of Somaliland and Eastern Ethiopia''. Dřiteč, Czech Republic: Tomáš Mazuch Publishing. 80 pp. .
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)''". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Pristurus phillipsii'', p. 106). (in German).
Pristurus
Geckos of Africa
Reptiles of Somalia
Endemic fauna of Somalia
Reptiles described in 1895
Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger
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