''Hemidactylus boavistensis'', the Boa Vista leaf-toed gecko, is a
species of
gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from .
Geckos ar ...
in the
family Gekkonidae. The species is
endemic to the
Cape Verde
, national_anthem = ()
, official_languages = Portuguese
, national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole
, capital = Praia
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, demonym ...
Islands. 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 ...
, ''boavistensis'', refers to the island
Boa Vista, one of the islands where it has been found. It has also been found on the island
of Sal and the islets of
Curral Velho and
.
It had long been considered a subspecies of ''
Hemidactylus bouvieri'' but was re-elevated as a separate species in 2008.
[
The Boa Vista leaf-toed gecko reaches lengths of from snout to vent.][ The head is relatively broad and the snout narrow with a concave or straight profile on the dorsal surface.][ It has about 35–38 fine ventral scales across the mid-belly.][ The first hind toe typically has 5 scales underneath while the fourth toe has 7–9 scales.][ In comparison, ''H. bouvieri'' is smaller, up to from snout to vent, with a narrower head, 20–25 coarse ventral scales, and only 3–4 scales under the first hind toe and 4–5 under the fourth.][
Although it is common where it is found, it was listed as a "near threatened" species on the IUCN Red List in 2012 due to its limited distribution, pressures from development, and competition with introduced species such as the house gecko ('']Hemidactylus angulatus
''Hemidactylus angulatus'' is a species of gecko. It is found in central and western Africa, as well as introduced to Cape Verde, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico, and Cuba in the Caribbean, and Ecuador and Colombia in S ...
'').
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q58900670
boavistensis
Endemic vertebrates of Cape Verde
Fauna of Boa Vista, Cape Verde
Reptiles described in 1906
Taxa named by George Albert Boulenger