The Afghan leopard gecko (''Eublepharis macularius afghanicus'') is one of the five

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the

common leopard gecko The leopard gecko or common leopard gecko (''Eublepharis macularius'') is a ground-dwelling lizard native to the rocky dry grassland and desert regions of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. The leopard gecko has become a popular pet, ...

, a small to midsized

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 ...

belonging to the family Gekkonidae. This subspecies was first discovered by

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

Carl Julius Bernhard Börner Carl Julius Bernhard Börner (28 May 1880 – 14 June 1953) was a German entomologist. Börner was born in Bremen and died in Naumburg. His collections of Collembola are located in the Natural History Museum, London and the Deutsches Entomolog ...

in 1976. It is much smaller than other leopard gecko subspecies.

Distribution and habitat

The Afghan leopard gecko is native to southeastern

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

along the Kabul River and its tributaries, its range extending into northern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. It can be found in the

Hindu Kush Mountains The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Provinc ...

. Its habitat includes rocky desert and sparse

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

, but it avoids

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

. It does not live in large

colonies In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...

and is most active in April and May.

Appearance

The adult is pale to bright yellow dorsally, with scattered black or blue spots. There is a continuous light vertebral stripe. There are dark or light reticulations (netlike patterns) on the head. The limbs are blotched and the tail has irregular dark markings. The juvenile typically has three yellow bars along the back. The male is about 15 centimeters long from snout to tail-tip. Females average about 14 centimeters.

References

External links

Afghan geckos

Images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afghan Leopard Gecko Eublepharis Lizards of Asia Reptiles of Afghanistan Reptiles of Pakistan Taxa named by Carl Julius Bernhard Börner Reptiles described in 1976