Ramigekko

Ramigekko swartbergensis, sometimes called the Swartberg (African) leaf-toed gecko, is a species of African gecko which is a localized endemic of the Cape Fold Belt in South Africa.[2] It is monotypic in the genus Ramigekko.

Swartberg leaf-toed gecko

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Ramigekko
Heinicke, Daza, Greenbaum, Jackman & Bauer, 2014
Species:
R. swartbergensis
Binomial name
Ramigekko swartbergensis
(Haacke, 1996)
Synonyms
  • Afrogecko swartbergensis
  • Phyllodactylus swartbergensis

Anatomy

Like other "leaf-toed" geckoes, they have a single pair of enlarged adhesive pads on the terminally end of each digit. Only this species however has smoothed and flattened tubercles on its dorsal parts.[3] The head has a deeper contour and some cranial differences (fusion of nasal and parietal bones) set them apart from most other gecko species.[4]

Range and habitat

It is found along the crests of the Swartberg and Klein Swartberg ranges, from Towerkop in the west to the vicinity of Meiringspoort. They favour north-facing sandstone outcrops in montane fynbos, from 1,300 to 2,100 m a.s.l.[5] They occur in protected areas and are not endangered.

Habits

They hide in rock cracks or under rock flakes, emerging to feed on insects. Like all "leaf-toed" geckoes they are nocturnal and lay hard-shelled eggs, which are deposited in clutches of two.[3]

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References
  1. Tolley, K., Bates, M.F. & Branch, W.R. 2018. Ramigekko swartbergensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T196903A115661608. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T196903A115661608.en. Downloaded on 10 January 2019.
  2. "Ramigekko swartbergensis". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
  3. Alexander, Graham (2013). A Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa. South Africa: Penguin Random House. ISBN 9781431702251.
  4. Daza, Juan D.; Mapps, Aurelia A.; Lewis, Patrick J.; Thies, Monte L.; Bauer, Aaron M. (August 2015). "Peramorphic traits in the tokay gecko skull". Journal of Morphology. 276 (8): 915–928. doi:10.1002/jmor.20389.
  5. "Ramigekko swartbergensis K. Kuppusamy, W. Lin, G. Cizek, E. Haacke, 1996". Sanbi Red List. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
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