Exmouth spiny-tailed gecko explained
The Exmouth spiny-tailed gecko (Strophurus rankini), also known commonly as Rankin's spiny-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to Western Australia.[1]
Etymology
The specific name, rankini, is in honor of Australian herpetologist Peter Rankin (1955–1979), who was collecting lizards at night in New Caledonia, when he fell from a tree and died.[2]
Geographic range
S. rankini is found in the Exmouth Gulf region of coastal Western Australia, including Bernier Island.[1]
Habitat
The natural habitat of S. rankini is shrubland in the supralittoral zone.
Description
S. rankini may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 6.3cm (02.5inches). The length of the tail is about two-thirds the SVL. Dorsally, S. rankini is pale gray, darker on the snout and lips. Ventrally, it is grayish white.[3]
Reproduction
S. rankini is oviparous.[1]
Further reading
- Ellis RJ, Doughty P, Bauer AM (2018). "An annotated type catalogue of the geckos and pygopods (Squamata: Gekkota: Carphodactylidae, Diplodactylidae, Gekkonidae, Pygopodidae) in the collection of the Western Australian Museum". Records of the Western Australian Museum 33 (1): 051–094.
- Cogger HG (2014). Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp. .
- Laube A, Langner C (2007). "Die Gattung Strophurus". Draco 8 (29): 49–66. (in German).
- Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28-153. (Strophurus rankini, p. 115). (in German).
- Storr GM (1979). "Five new lizards from Western Australia". Records of the Western Australian Museum 8 (1): 134–142. (Diplodactylus rankini, new species, pp. 134–136, Plate 1).
- Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013). A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp. .
Notes and References
- www.reptile-database.org.
- Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Strophurus rankini, p. 217).
- [Glen Milton Storr|Storr]
