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 ...

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 ...

Phyllodactylidae The Phyllodactylidae are a family of geckos (Gekkota) consisting of over 150 species in 10 genera, distributed throughout the New World, North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The family was first delineated based on a molecular phylogenetic ...

. The species is native to the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

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.

. There are three recognized

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 ...

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 ...

, ''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 **Ger ...

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 rept ...

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 ''vari ...

, ''bischoffi'', is in honor of German herpetologist

Wolfgang Bischoff Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...

.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 co ...

(''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

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 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 ...

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

* 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 {{gecko-stub

Etymology

Geographic range

Habitat

Reproduction

Subspecies

References

Further reading