Guichard's rock gecko (''Pristurus guichardi)'' 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 ...
Sphaerodactylidae. 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 the island of
Socotra
Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen’s ...
of
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
.
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 ...
, ''guichardi'', is in honor of British entomologist
Kenneth Mackinnon Guichard.
[ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Pristurus guichardi'', p. 111).]
Habitat
The preferred natural habitats of ''P. guichardi'' are
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
and
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 ...
, at altitudes of .
Behavior
''P. guichardi'' is
arboreal.
Reproduction
''P. guichardi'' 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
* Arnold EN (1986). "New species of semaphore gecko (''Pristurus'': Gekkonidae) from Arabia and Socotra". ''Fauna of Arabia'' 8: 352–377. (''Pristurus guichardi'', new species).
* Fasola, Mauro; Razzetti, Edoardo; Sindaco, Roberto; Ziliani, Ugo; Delle Monache, Daniele; Pellitteri-Rosa, Daniele; Carranza, Salvador (2020). "Ecological preferences of the endemic reptile community of Socotra". ''Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali'' 31: 687–701.
* Garcia-Porta J, Morales HE, Gómez-Díaz E, Sindaco R, Carranza S (2016). "Patterns of diversification in islands: A comparative study across three gecko genera in the Socotra Archipelago". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 98: 288–299.
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)''". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Pristurus guichardi'', p. 106). (in German).
*Rösler H, Wranik W (2004). "A key and annotated checklist to the reptiles of the Socotra archipelago". ''Fauna of Arabia'' 20: 505–534.
Pristurus
Reptiles described in 1986
{{Gecko-stub