''Ptychozoon'' was a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

arboreal Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally, but others are exclusively arboreal. The habitats pose nu ...

geckos,

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 else ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, known commonly as flying geckos, gliding geckos, or parachute geckos. Malkmus R, Manthey U (2002). ''Amphibians & Reptiles of Mount Kinabalu (North Borneo).'' Germany: A.R.G. 424 pp. . (''Ptychozoon'', pp. 32, 267-268). They all are now placed in the genus

Gekko ''Gekko'' is a genus of Southeast Asian geckos, commonly known as true geckos or calling geckos, in the family Gekkonidae. Although species such as ''Gekko gecko'' (tokay gecko) are very widespread and common, some species in the same genus hav ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Gekkonidae Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 64 genera. Members of the Gekkonidae comprise many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos ('' Hemidactylus''), tokay g ...

. The biogeographic history of the genus ''Ptychozoon'' was deeply nested within that of the genus ''

'', the center of diversity of which is within Southeast Asia. Since dispersing into Southeast Asian rainforests, ''Pytochozoon'', like other forest-dwelling vertebrates, adapted to facilitate gliding. All

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 ...

in the genus ''Ptychozoon'' are characterized by

cryptic coloration Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

and elaborate webs surrounding the neck, limbs, trunk, and tail. These

membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...

s help to conceal the gecko against trees. When the gecko leaps into the air, the flaps are used to generate lift and allow the gecko to control its fall. It can glide up to . Also it does a swoop at the end of its glide to land softly. A similar adaptation is found in geckos of the genus '' Cosymbotus''. There were thirteen described species in the genus ''Ptychozoon''.

Species

The following species were recognized as being valid."''Ptychozoon'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *'' Ptychozoon bannaense'' – Banna parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon cicakterbang'' – Malaysia parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon horsfieldii'' – Horsfield's flying gecko, Horsfield's parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon intermedium'' – intermediate flying gecko, Philippine parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon kabkaebin'' – Lao parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon kaengkrachanense'' – Kaeng Krachan parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon kuhli'' – Kuhl's flying gecko, Kuhl's parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon lionotum'' – smooth-backed gliding gecko, smooth-backed flying gecko, Burmese flying gecko, Burmese parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon nicobarensis'' – Nicobar gliding gecko *'' Ptychozoon popaense'' – Mt. Popa parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon rhacophorus'' – Sabah flying gecko *'' Ptychozoon tokehos'' – Cambodian parachute gecko *'' Ptychozoon trinotaterra'' ''

Nota bene (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Ptychozoon''.

References

External links

Global Gecko Association
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1394970 Geckos Gliding animals Taxa named by Heinrich Kuhl Lizard genera Taxa named by Johan Conrad van Hasselt

Species

References

Further reading

External links