''Teratoscincus sistanense'' is a small
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
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 ...
, a
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
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
.
Geographic range
''T. sistanense'' is found in
Sistan and Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran.
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 ...
of ''T. sistanensis'' is a hot and dry climate, with flat sandy soil interspersed with patches of gravel or loamy-silty soil, and sparse vegetation mainly of the
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
''
Tamarix
The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Tam ...
''.
[
]
Description
''T. sistanense'' has 145-165 scales around the body at midbody, the most of any species in its genus. The first upper labial does not form part of the margin of the nostril.[
]
Behavior
''T. sistanense'' is nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
*Akbarpour, Morteza; Shafiei, Soheila; Sehhatisabet, Mohammad Ebrahim; Damadi, Ehsan (2017). "A new species of frog-eyed gecko, genus ''Teratoscincus'' Strauch
Strauch, a German word meaning ''bush'' or ''shrub'', is a surname. Notable people with it include:
* Adolfo Strauch, (b. 1948), survivor of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash
* Adolph Strauch (1822–1883), landscape architect
* Aegidius S ...
, 1863 (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae), from southeastern Iran". ''Zoology in the Middle East'' 63 (4): 296–302. (''Teratoscincus sistanense'', new species).
Teratoscincus
Endemic fauna of Iran
Reptiles of Iran
Reptiles described in 2017
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