Lucasium byrnei facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lucasium byrnei |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Lucasium
|
| Species: |
byrnei
|
| Synonyms | |
|
|
The Lucasium byrnei, often called the gibber gecko or Byrne's gecko, is a small lizard. It is a type of gecko that belongs to the family called Diplodactylidae. This gecko is endemic to Australia, meaning it lives only there. It is also a nocturnal animal, which means it is active at night.
Contents
About the Gibber Gecko
What's in a Name?
The gibber gecko's scientific name, byrnei, honors an Australian official. His name was P.M. "Paddy" Byrne. He worked as a telegraph official.
How It Looks
The gibber gecko can grow up to 80 mm (3.1 in) long. This measurement includes its tail. Its body color can be light cream, reddish-brown, or dark brown. It often has small dark spots and tiny pale dots.
A cool feature is the W-shaped dark brown stripes on its back. There are usually four or five of these stripes. They run from its neck to its back legs.
Its head is short and rounded. The snout is also rounded. The ear opening is very small. The scales on its throat are tiny. The scales on its belly are flat and round. They are a bit smaller than the bumps on its back.
The gecko's tail is round and gets thinner towards the end. It has rings of scales. Male gibber geckos have three or four blunt spines. These spines are on each side of the tail's base.
Where It Lives
The gibber gecko lives on the ground. During the day, it hides in places like leaf litter or cracks in the ground. It also uses holes in the ground to stay safe. At night, it comes out to find food in open areas.
You can find this gecko in many different places. It lives in mallee forests and open woodlands. It also lives in areas with saltbush plants and sandy deserts. It probably uses burrows already dug by other animals. This is because its feet are not designed for digging.
Where It's Found
The gibber gecko lives in central New South Wales in Australia. It is also found in the southern parts of New South Wales. You can see it in the eastern half of South Australia. Its range also reaches into parts of Queensland and the Northern Territory.
What It Eats
The gibber gecko is an insectivore. This means it eats insects. Its natural diet includes small spiders and ants. It also enjoys cockroaches, crickets, termites, and moths.
How Scientists Study Geckos
Scientists group living things into families and genera. This helps them understand how different animals are related. The gibber gecko is part of the Gekkonidae family. This family has many species in Australia. Most geckos in this family are no bigger than 150 mm (5.9 in) from snout to vent (the base of the tail). They have five toes with round pads.
The Gekkonidae family is split into two main groups: Gekkoninae and Diplodactylinae. The gibber gecko belongs to the Diplodactylinae group.
When the gibber gecko was first described in 1896, it was called Diplodactylus byrnei. This was done by two scientists, Arthur Henry Shakespeare Lucas and Charles Frost. Later, in 2007, other scientists moved it to the Lucasium genus. This is why its full scientific name is now Lucasium byrnei.
- Lucas, A. H. S. & Frost, C. (1896). "Further Preliminary Notice of Certain Species of Lizards from Central Australia". Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 8: 1-4. (Diplodactylus byrnei, new species. pp. 2–3).
- Oliver, P. M.; Hutchinson, M. N. & Cooper, S. J. B. (2007). "Phylogenetic relationships in the lizard genus Diplodactylus Gray and resurrection of Lucasium Wermuth (Gekkota: Diplodactylidae)". Australian Journal of Zoology. 55 (3): 197-210. (Lucasium byrnei, new combination).
