Swartberg leaf-toed gecko | |
---|---|
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
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 | |
|
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.
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]
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.
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]
Swartberg leaf-toed gecko | |
---|---|
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
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 | |
|
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.
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]
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.
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]