The Andaman giant gecko (''Gekko verreauxi)'', also known
commonly as the Andamanese giant 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
Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 64 genera. Members of the Gekkonidae comprise many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), tokay ge ...
. The species is indigenous to the
Andaman Islands
The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...
Etymology
The
specific name, ''verreauxi'', is in honor of French naturalist
Jules Verreaux
Jules Pierre Verreaux (24 August 1807 – 7 September 1873) was a French botanist and ornithologist and a professional collector of and trader in natural history specimens. He was the brother of Édouard Verreaux and nephew of Pierre Antoine Dela ...
.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Gekko verreauxi'', p. 274).]
Geographic range
''G. verreauxi'' 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 the Andaman Islands of India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.[
]
Description
Reaching a total length (including tail) of more than one foot (30 cm),[ the Andaman giant gecko is one of the world's largest geckos.
]
Habitat
''G. verreauxi'' is commonly found on trees,[ tree logs, and in crop fields.
]
Behaviour
''G. verreauxi'' hides by day in cavities or under bark plates of trees (typically ''Manilkara
''Manilkara'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae. They are widespread in tropical and semitropical locations, in Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Australia, and Latin America, as well as various islands in the Pacific and in the Caribbean. A ...
litoralis''), and comes out after sunset to prey on insects. It is shy and well camouflaged.[
]
Reproduction
''G. verreauxi'' 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
* Ota H, Hikida T, Matsui M (1991). "Re-evaluation of the Status of ''Gekko verreauxi'' Tytler, 1864, from the Andaman Islands, India". ''Journal of Herpetology'' 25 (2): 147–151.
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)''". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Gekko verreauxi'', p. 82). (in German).
verreauxi
Reptiles of India
Endemic fauna of the Andaman Islands
Reptiles described in 1865
Taxa named by Robert Christopher Tytler
{{Gekko-stub