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Beaded gecko

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Beaded gecko
Female
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Lucasium
Species:
L. damaeum
Binomial name
Lucasium damaeum
Lucas & Frost, 1896

The beaded gecko (Lucasium damaeum) is a gecko endemic to Australia.[1]

Description

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L. damaeum

With only a few species of the genus Lucasium it is endemic to Australia.[2] The 7 cm long beaded gecko is reddish brown on top, with what looks like chains of beads surrounding the cream pale ridged vertebral strip, thus given the name of beaded gecko.[3][4] Single lines of pale blotches run down the side of its body with scattered smaller spots covering its dark brown limbs and surrounding body.[5] This gecko has a rounded snout rather than beaked (with the rostral connection to the nostril[6]), reddish brown in colour with a white or cream upper eyelid that is not able to cover, protect or clean the eye, rather the eye is covered in protective transparent scales.[7] To keep the eye clean they use their long flat tongue to wipe the eye. With relatively large eyes, the pupil is a thin vertical slit during the day and rounded and full in the dark.[8] The tail is a straight continuum of the body and the original tail has continuing patterns from the body down but will reproduce plain brown or spotted darker tails.[9] The toes of a beaded gecko are flat and unkinked without adhesive pads and usually whitish in colour. The feet of the beaded gecko are not suitable for climbing[10] The beaded gecko is nocturnal. Hiding through the day and coming out at night they travel large distances in search of food.[11]

Distribution

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Beaded geckos are found in drier arid to semi-arid climate parts of mainland Australia in all states and the Northern Territory.[12]

Ecology and habitat

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The beaded gecko is a terrestrial (ground-dwelling) animal that can be found in a variety of dry desert habitats within mainland Australia from the savannah woodlands to spinifex-covered sandhills.[13] During the day the gecko uses insects and spider holes for shelter before coming out at night to hunt in open areas. This swift-moving gecko covers large areas in search for food.[14]

Reproduction

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The beaded gecko is oviparous, meaning it lays eggs rather than giving birth. Females are known to lay 2 eggs per clutch. Like most Australian reptiles, geckos have a breeding season which is from late September to December. Males have paired sex organs, each independent.[15]

Diet

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Beaded geckos like most other small lizards feed mainly on insects. The jaw is surrounded with short fine teeth; however, prey is crushed by the gecko rather than chewed.[16]

Threats

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Threats include loss of habitat, and feral predators like dogs, cats and foxes.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "Lucasium damaeum". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  2. ^ Doughty, P & Hutchinson, M.N. (2008). Records of western Australian museam. A new species of Lucasium (Squamata: Diplodactylidae) from the southern deserts of Western Australia and South Australia, 1(1), 95-106. Retrieved 4 June 2016, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mark_Hutchinson4/publication/242182301_A_new_species_of_Lucasium_%28Squamata_Diplodactylidae%29_from_the_southern_deserts_of_Western_Australia_and_South_Australia/links/02e7e52deebc892f86000000.pdf
  3. ^ Edgar, R.W. (1993). The Reptiles and Amphibians os Sount Australia . Australia: Hale H.M
  4. ^ Hoser, R.T. (1989). Australian Reptiles and Frogs. Australia: Pierson & Co.
  5. ^ Cogger, HG 2014 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 311-311
  6. ^ Wilson, S, & Swan, G. A 2013 Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, 4th ed. Now Holland Publishers 88-89
  7. ^ Cogger, H. (1967). Geckos. (Ed), Australian Reptiles in colour` (pp. 20-28). Australia: Tressure Press Australia
  8. ^ Cogger, H. (1967). Geckos. (Ed), Australian Reptiles in colour` (pp. 20-28). Australia: Tressure Press Australia
  9. ^ Cogger, HG 2014 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 311-311
  10. ^ "Lucasium damaeum and others, Gawler Ranges, SA". Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  11. ^ Cogger, H. (1967). Geckos. (Ed), Australian Reptiles in colour` (pp. 20-28). Australia: Tressure Press Australia
  12. ^ Cogger, HG 2014 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 311-311
  13. ^ Cogger, HG 2014 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 311-311
  14. ^ Wilson, S, & Swan, G. A 2013 Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, 4th ed. Now Holland Publishers 88-89
  15. ^ Amazing amazon. (N.d). Beaded Gecko Care and Information Caring for Geckos. Retrieved 4 June 2016, from https://www.amazingamazon.com.au/beaded-gecko-care-housing-feeding-information
  16. ^ Amazing amazon. (N.d). Beaded Gecko Care and Information Caring for Geckos. Retrieved 4 June 2016, from https://www.amazingamazon.com.au/beaded-gecko-care-housing-feeding-information
  17. ^ Lucasium damaeum at the Australian Reptile Online Database. Last updated 2016-03-29 11:18:15.Retrieved from http://www.arod.com.au/arod/?species=Lucasium+damaeum on 4 June 2016.
  • Rösler, H. 2000 Kommentierte Liste der rezent, und fossil bekannten subrezent Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha). Gekkota 2: 28-153
  • Rösler, Herbert 1995 Geckos der Welt - Alle Gattungen. Urania, Leipzig, 256 pp.
  • Lucas, AHS, and C. Frost. Preliminary 1896 Further Notice of certain new species of lizards from Central Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, 8:1-4.
  • Loveridge, A. 1934 Australian reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Bull. Mus Comp. Zool. 77: 243-383
  • Kinghorn, J. Roy 1929 Herpetological notes No. I Records of the Australian Museum 17 (2): 76-84
  • Kinghorn, JR 1929 Rec. Austral. Mus., Sydney, 17: 77
  • Kinghorn, J. Reptiles and Roy 1924 batrachian from south and south-west Australia Records of the Australian Museum 14 (3): 163-183
  • Cogger, HG 2000 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 6th ed. Ralph Curtis Publishing, Sanibel Island, 808 pp.
  • Cogger, HG 2014 Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia, 7th ed. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, 311-311
  • Wilson, S, & Swan, G. A 2013 Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia, 4th ed. Now Holland Publishers 88-89
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