Bauerius ansorgii is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is indigenous to the west coast of Southern Africa.

Bauerius
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Bauerius
Lobon-Rovira, Conradie, Vaz Pinto, Keates, Edwards, du Plessis, & Branch, 2022
Species:
B. ansorgii
Binomial name
Bauerius ansorgii
(Boulenger, 1907)
Synonyms[2]
  • Phyllodactylus ansorgii
    — Boulenger, 1907
  • Afrogecko ansorgii
    Bauer et al., 1997

Etymology

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The specific name, ansorgii, is in honor of William John Ansorge, a physician who collected natural history specimens in Africa.[3]

Geographic range

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B. ansorgii is endemic to Angola.[2]

Habitat

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The preferred natural habitats of B. ansorgii are savanna and shrubland, at altitudes of 50–500 m (160–1,640 ft).[1]

Description

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B. ansorgii may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 7.5 cm (3.0 in), with a tail 3 cm (1.2 in) long. Dorsally, it is pale grayish brown. Ventrally, it is white with small brown spots. The upper lip is also white.[4]

Behavior

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B. ansorgii is nocturnal. It shelters by day in hollow branches of blackthorn (Senegalia mellifera), the branches having been made hollow by termite activity. It emerges at night to forage.[1]

Reproduction

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B. ansorgii is oviparous.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Vaz Pinto, P. (2020). "Afrogecko ansorgii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T169705A110197243. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T169705A110197243.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Species Bauerius ansorgii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  3. ^ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Afrogecko ansorgii, p. 10).
  4. ^ Boulenger (1907).

Further reading

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  • Bauer AM, Good DA, Branch WR (1997). "The taxonomy of the Southern African leaf-toed geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with a review of Old World "Phyllodactylus " and the description of five new genera". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 49 (14): 447–497. (Afrogecko ansorgii, new combination, p. 476).
  • Boulenger GA (1907). "Descriptions of Three new Lizards and a new Frog, discovered by Dr. W. J. Ansorge in Angola". Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Seventh Series 19: 212–214. (Phyllodactylus ansorgii, new species, p. 212).
  • Vaz Pinto P, Veríssimo L, Branch WR (2019). "Hiding in the bushes for 110 years: rediscovery of an iconic Angolan gecko (Afrogecko ansorgii Boulenger, 1907, Sauria: Gekkonidae)". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13 (2) [Special Section]: 29–41.