Boettger's wall gecko (''Tarentola boettgeri''), also
commonly known as the Gran Canaria gecko, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...
of
lizard 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 species is native to the
Canary Islands and the
Savage Islands
The Savage Islands or Selvagens Islands ( pt, Ilhas Selvagens ; also known as the Salvage Islands) are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Madeira, and north of the Canary Islands.30,000), white-faced storm- ...
. There are three recognized
subspecies.
Etymology
The
specific name, ''boettgeri'', is in honor of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
herpetologist
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians ( gymnophiona)) and rep ...
Oskar Boettger
Oskar Boettger (german: Böttger; 31 March 1844 – 25 September 1910) was a German zoologist who was a native of Frankfurt am Main. He was an uncle of the noted malacologist Caesar Rudolf Boettger (1888–1976).
From 1863 to 1866 he studied at ...
. The
subspecific name
In zoological nomenclature, a subspecific name is the third part of a trinomen. In zoology there is only one rank below that of species, namely "subspecies".
In botanical nomenclature, there are several levels of subspecific names, such as ''var ...
, ''bischoffi'', is in honor of German herpetologist
Wolfgang Bischoff.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Tarentola boettgeri'', p. 29; ''T. bischoffi'', p. 26).]
Geographic range
''T. boettgeri'' is native to the islands of
Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that ...
(''T. b. boettgeri)'' and
El Hierro
El Hierro, nicknamed ''Isla del Meridiano'' (the "Meridian Island"), is the second-smallest and farthest-south and -west of the Canary Islands (an autonomous community of Spain), in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a populatio ...
(''T. b. hierrensis)'' in the Canary Islands. An introduced population exists in
Galicia,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. The subspecies ''T. b. bischoffi'' is indigenous to the
Savage Islands
The Savage Islands or Selvagens Islands ( pt, Ilhas Selvagens ; also known as the Salvage Islands) are a small Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Madeira, and north of the Canary Islands.30,000), white-faced storm- ...
.
Habitat
The preferred
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s of ''T. boettgeri'' are shrubby vegetation, rocky areas, rocky shores, and rural gardens.
Reproduction
''T. boettgeri'' is
oviparous.
[
]
Subspecies
The following three subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical 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 ...
.[ www.reptile-database.org.]
*'' Tarentola boettgeri bischoffi''
*''Tarentola boettgeri boettgeri''
*'' Tarentola boettgeri hierrensis''
References
Further reading
* Steindachner F (1891). "''Ueber die Reptilien und Batrachier der westlichen und östlichen Gruppe der canarischen Inseln'' ". ''Annalen des K. K. Naturhistorischens Hofmuseums, Wien'' 6: 287–306. (''Tarentola delalandii'' var. ''boettgeri'', new variety, p. 301). (in German).
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)'' ". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (in German).
* Nogales M, López M, Jiménez-Asensio J, Larruga JM, Hernandez M, Gonzalez P (1998). "Evolution and biogeography of the genus ''Tarentola'' (Sauria: Gekkonidae) in the Canary Islands, inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences". ''Journal of Evolutionary Biology'' 11: 481–494.
* Krefft G (1949). "''Beobachtungen an kanarischen Inseleidechsen. 4.'' Tarentola delalandei boettgeri". ''Wochenschr. Aquar. Terr.'' 5 (43): 114–116. (in German).
* Joger U (1984). "''Die Radiation der Gattung'' Tarentola ''in Makaronesien'' ". ''Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg'' 71: 91–111. (in German).
*Joger U, Bischoff W (1983). "''Zwei neue Taxa der Gattung'' Tarentola ''(Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae) von den Kanarischen Inseln'' ". ''Bonner Zoologische Beiträge'' 34 (1-3): 459–468. (in German).
* Carranza S, Arnold EN, Mateo JA, López-Jurado LF (2000). "Long-distance colonization and radiation in gekkonid lizards, ''Tarentola'' (Reptilia: Gekkonidae), revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequences". ''Proceedings of the Royal Society of London'', B, 267: 637–649.
* Bonetti M (2002). ''100 Sauri''. Milan: Mondadori. 192 pp. . (in Italian).
*Bischoff W (1985). "''Die Herpetofauna der Kanarischen Inseln. II. Die Geckos der Gattung'' Tarentola". ''Herpetofauna'' 7 (35): 27–34. (in German).
*Aulio R, Gérard P, Daoues K, Hussard N (2005). ''Atlas de la terrariophilie, Vol.3 : Les lézards''. France: Animalia Éditions. 189 pp. . (in French).
Tarentola
Reptiles of the Canary Islands
Reptiles described in 1891
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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