The Qattara gecko (''Tarentola mindiae'') is a species 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

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 ...

Description

''T. mindiae'' is a relatively large and robust gecko, with a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The back is covered in bands of warty tubercules. It is light brown on the upperside, with 5-6 dark bands across the back, a dark streak running from the nose through the eye, and irregular streaks and marbling on the head and limbs. The underside is pale greyish-white with small dark spots. The iris is ochre.

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 ...

, ''mindiae'', commemorates

Mindy Baha El Din Mindy Baha El Din (1 November 1958 – 18 March 2013) was an American-born Egyptian environmentalist. Together with her husband, ornithologist and herpetologist Sherif Baha El Din she made contributions to the protection of migratory birds and the ...

, an environmentalist and herpetologist from Egypt. She was the wife of

Sherif Baha El Din Sherif, also spelled Sharif (and, in countries where Francophone Romanisation is the norm, Cherif or Charif), is a proper name derived from the Arabic word (, 'noble', 'highborn', 'honorable'), originally a title designating a person descended f ...

, also a herpetologist, who described this lizard as a

new species A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Tarentola mindiae'', p. 178).

Geographic range

''T. mindiae'' is found in Egypt and Libya. The areas it has been confirmed to occur in are the Qattara Depression and the

Siwa Oasis The Siwa Oasis ( ar, واحة سيوة, ''Wāḥat Sīwah,'' ) is an urban oasis in Egypt; between the Qattara Depression and the Great Sand Sea in the Western Desert (Egypt), Western Desert, 50 km (30 mi) east of the Libyan Egypt–Li ...

in Egypt and Jialo Oasis in eastern Libya.

Habitat

The natural habitats of ''T. miniae'' are dry savanna,

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

or tropical dry

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

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

springs Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

Behaviour

''T. mindiae'' is arboreal and territorial, it occurs in small, isolated clusters of vegetation where it can be found at quite high densities. It is nocturnal and has been observed walking slowly across on the sand between vegetation at night, and tracks show that it may move quite far between trees and bushes. During the day it hides under the bark of dead

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

s or among the roots of tamarisks. The females bury their eggs in the soil, and they lay 4 clutches of 2 eggs each in a season. The young are mature within a year. In captivity it can live for quite a long time (at least seven years).

Conservation status

''T. mindiae'' is threatened by habitat loss. In Egypt, it is expected to lose much of its currently suitable distribution in the future due to anthropogenic climate change.