Gymnodactylus

Gymnodactylus darwinii, front view of the head

Gymnodactylus is a genus of gecko -like ( Gekkota ). This genus was formerly counted directly to the family of geckos ( Gekkonidae ), but has been spun off in 2008 along with other genres into its own family Phyllodactylidae. Gymnodactylus species are endemic to Brazil.

Features

The name of the Phyllodactylidae family means "leaf fingers " and is composed of "fingers" from the two Greek terms Phyllos (Greek φύλλος ) for "Leaf " and dactylos ( δάκτυλος ). This designation refers to a salient feature of some genera of this gecko -like, namely the widened detention toes and fingers, for example, in the genus compartments finger ( Ptyodactylus ). However, the genus name Gymnodactylus has just the opposite way, meaning " naked fingers " of gymnos ( γυμνος ) "naked" and dactylos for " finger ".

The head-body length of the species of the genus Gymnodactylus is 3 to 5 centimeters, the tail length of 3-7 centimeters.

Dissemination

Gymnodactylus belongs to the Neotropical genera of Phyllodactylidae family. It was known from the Brazilian Cerrado ecoregion, Caatinga and Atlantic Forest.

Taxonomy and systematics

The type Gymnodactylus was vanzolinii described in 2009 as the most recent in the genus. Previously, specimens of this lizard were kept out of the northern part of the Serra do Espinhaço for the southern expression of Gymnodactylus geckoides, the type species of the genus Gymnodactylus. Johann Baptist von Spix geckoides had brought along a copy of Gymnodactylus of his trip to Brazil on behalf of the King of Bavaria in the years 1817-1820 and 1825, described shortly before his early death.

Species

Six species have been described:

• Gymnodactylus amarali Barbour, 1925 is so far only one copy of Engenheiro Dodt, Piauí State and a juvenile specimen from Alto Parnaíba Maranhao State, both located in the Cerrado is known.
• Gymnodactylus carvalhoi Vanzolini, 2005 is widespread in the Cerrado.
• Gymnodactylus darwinii (Gray, 1845) has only been found in the Atlantic rain forests of Brazil, from the north-east of the state of São Paulo to Rio Grande do Norte.
• Gymnodactylus geckoides Spix, 1825 in the Caatinga endemic in northeastern Brazil, but also comes along with Gymnodactylus darwinii in the dunes near Natal, the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Norte ago.
• Gymnodactylus guttulatus Vanzolini, 1982, previously known only from the rocky turf in the southern Serra do Espinhaço a mountain range in the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia.
• Gymnodactylus vanzolinii Cassimiro & Rodrigues, 2009 is so far known only from the Serra do Sincorá, an area north of the Serra do Espinhaço with an altitude of up to more than 2000 meters.