Gilbert's leaf-toed gecko explained

Gilbert's leaf-toed gecko (Phyllodactylus gilberti), also known commonly as the Wenman Island gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Galapagos Islands.

Etymology

The specific name, gilberti, is in honor of American ichthyologist Charles Henry Gilbert.^[1]

Geographic range

P. gilberti is only found on two small islands, Darwin Island and Wolf Island, in the Galápagos archipelago of Ecuador.

The type locality is "Wenman Island", which is a name previously used for Wolf Island.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of P. gilberti are shrubland and rocky areas at altitudes from sea level to .

Description

P. gilberti may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . Dorsally, it is slate-blue with darker blotches and spots. There is a light gray stripe from the nape of the neck to the middle of the back. Ventrally, it is pale lemon-colored, except for the throat which is light flesh-colored.^[2]

Reproduction

P. gilberti is oviparous.

Further reading

• Heller E (1903). "Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos Expedition, 1898–1899. XIV. Reptiles". Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences 5: 39–98. (Phyllodactylus gilberti, new species, pp. 61–63).
• Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekkanten Geckotaxa (Reptilia:Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Phyllodactylus gilberti, p. 104). (in German).
• Swash, Andy; Still, Rob (2006). Birds, Mammals & Reptiles of the Galápagos Islands, 2nd Edition. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. 168 pp. .
• Torres-Carvajal O, Pazmiño-Otamendi G, Salazar-Valenzuela D (2019). "Reptiles of Ecuador: a resource-rich online portal, with dynamic checklists and photographic guides". Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 13 (1) [General Section]: 209–229 (e178).
• Torres-Carvajal O, Rodríguez-Guerra A, Chaves JA (2016). "Present diversity of Galápagos leaf-toed geckos (Phyllodactylidae: Phyllodactylus) stems from three independent colonization events". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 103: 1–5.

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
2. [John Van Denburgh|Van Denburgh J]