Bons's dwarf day gecko explained

Bons's dwarf day gecko or Bons' dwarf day gecko (Lygodactylus bonsi) is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Malawi.

Etymology

The specific name, bonsi, is in honour of French herpetologist Jacques Bons (born 1933).

Taxonomy

L. bonsi was originally described as a subspecies of Bernard's dwarf gecko (Lygodactylus bernardi), but has since year 2000 considered a full species.

Geographic range

L. bonsi is found in the Mulanje Massif in southern Malawi.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of L. bonsi is rocky areas in grassland, at altitudes of 2000-.

Reproduction

L. bonsi is oviparous.

Further reading

• Pasteur G (1962). "Notes préliminaires sur les lygodactyles (gekkonidés). II. Diagnose de quelques Lygodactylus d'Afrique". Bulletin de l'Institute fondamental d'Afrique noire 24: 606–614. (Lygodactylus bernardi bonsi, new subspecies). (in French).
• Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Lygodactylus bonsi, new status). (in German).
• Travers SL, Jackman TR, Bauer AM (2014). "A molecular phylogeny of Afromontane dwarf geckos (Lygodactylus) reveals a single radiation and increased species diversity in a South African montane center of endemism". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 80: 31–42.