The African wall gecko, or fig tree gecko[1] (Tarentola ephippiata) is a species of gecko. It is found in northern Africa and parts of North America.[2]
| African wall gecko | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Phyllodactylidae |
| Genus: | Tarentola |
| Species: | T. ephippiata
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| Binomial name | |
| Tarentola ephippiata O’Shaughnessy, 1875
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Description
editThe African Wall Gecko lives primarily in Afrotropic regions, though it has been found in parts of North America. It is nocturnal.[3]
Discovery
editIt was first believed that Tarentola ephippiata and Tarentola annularis (white-spotted wall gecko or ringed wall gecko), were geographic variants of the same species. A morphological analysis in 1961 showed that they were two distinct species, with differences in number of teeth and dorsal patterns. In 2019, the gecko was spotted in North America for the first time.[4]
References
edit- ^ Santoni, Christina. "A Survey of Reptiles and Amphibians That Can Be Found At Abuko Nature Reserve, The Gambia" (PDF). St. Mary's College of Maryland. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ Tarentola ephippiata at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
- ^ "African Wall Gecko". EOL. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ Rosenfeld, Tasman (2020). "First record of the African Wall Gecko, Tarentola ephippiata O'Shaughnessy 1875 (Phyllodactylidae) in North America". Reptiles & Amphibians. 26 (3): 261–262. doi:10.17161/randa.v26i3.14434. S2CID 238099439. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
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