The Chitral gecko (''Mediodactylus walli''), also known
commonly as the Chitral bow-foot 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
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
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Gekkonidae. 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 elsew ...
to
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 ...
.
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 ...
, ''walli'', is in honor of British herpetologist
Frank Wall.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Cyrtopodion walli'', p. 279).]
Geographic range
''M. walli'' is found in northwestern Pakistan. The type locality is "Chitral, Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan".
[
]
Habitat
The preferred natural 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 ''M. walli'' are shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
and rocky areas, at altitudes of .
Reproduction
''M. walli'' 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
* Auffenberg K, Krysko KL, Rehman H (2010). "Studies on Pakistan Lizards: ''Cyrtopodion baturense'' (Khan and Baig 1992) and ''Cyrtopodion walli'' (Ingoldby 1922) (Sauria: Gekkonidae)". ''Zootaxa'' 2636: 1–20.
* Bauer AM, Masroor R, Titus-McQuillan J, Heinicke MP, Daza JD, Jackman TR (2013). "A preliminary phylogeny of the Palearctic naked-toed geckos (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) with taxonomic implications". ''Zootaxa'' 3599 (4): 301–324. (''Mediodactylus walli'', new combination).
* Das I (1994). "The reptiles of South Asia: checklist and distributional summary". ''Hamadryad'' 19: 15–40.
* Ingoldby CM (1922). "A new stone gecko from the Himalaya". ''Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society'' 28: 1051. (''Gymnodactylus walli'', new species).
* Khan MS (1992). "Validity of the mountain gecko, ''Gymnodactylus walli'' INGOLDBY 1922". ''Herpetological Journal'' 2 (4): 106–10.
* Sindaco R Jeremčenko VK (2008). ''The Reptiles of the Western Palearctic. 1. Annotated Checklist and Distributional Atlas of the Turtles, Crocodiles, Amphisbaenians and Lizards of Europe, North Africa, Middle East and Central Asia''. (Monographs of the ''Societas Herpetologica Italica''). Latina, Italy: Edizioni Belvedere. 580 pp. . (''Altiphylax walli)''.
Mediodactylus
Reptiles of Pakistan
Reptiles described in 1922
{{Gekkonidae-stub