Taylor's fat-tailed gecko (''Hemitheconyx taylori''), also known
commonly as Taylor's fat-tail gecko, is a
species 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 alt ...
in the
family Eublepharidae. The species is native to northeastern
Africa.
[
]
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 ...
, ''taylori'', is in honor of British army officer Captain R. H. R. Taylor
R. or r. may refer to:
* ''Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler.
* '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King
* ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen
* or , abbreviat ...
.
Geographic range
''H. taylori'' is found in eastern Ethiopia and northern Somalia.[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitat of ''H. taylori'' is desert
A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
, at altitudes of . They reportedly survive the dry landscape by adopting a nocturnal and even semi-fossorial
A fossorial () animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily, but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, meerkats, and mole salamanders, as well as many beetles, wasps, and bees.
Prehistoric eviden ...
lifestyle.
Reproduction
''H. taylori'' 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), and ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Largen M, Spawls S (2010). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea''. Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira / Serpents Tale. 694 pp. .
* Parker HW (1930). "Three new Reptiles from Somaliland". ''Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Tenth Series'' 6: 603–606. (''Hemitheconyx taylori'', new species, pp. 603–604).
*Parker HW (1942). "The Lizards of British Somaliland, With an appendix on Topography and Climate by Capt. R. H. R. Taylor, O. B. E." ''Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College'' 91: 1–101. (''Hemitheconyx taylori'', p. 37).
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)''". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Hemitheconyx taylori'', p. 89).
Hemitheconyx
Geckos of Africa
Reptiles of Ethiopia
Reptiles of Somalia
Reptiles described in 1930
Taxa named by Hampton Wildman Parker
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