“Strophurus intermedius”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

The southern spiny tailed gecko is one of the larger species of gecko found in Australia. They have a grey patterned body with a pale belly.^[3] The southern spiny tailed gecko acquired its name from the two longitudinal rows of prominent tubercles along the length of its back and tail.^[4] These spines are orange-brown in colour and become more prominent towards the tail. This spiny like feature acts as a defence mechanism. The spines on the tail exudes a harmless yet smelly, orange fluid at the attacker.^[3] Its limbs and body are strong.^[4] Their digits are disced like most species of Gekkonidae. Their mouth has a blue lining.The eyes of the southern spiny tailed gecko is rimmed with bright orange.

The head of southern spiny tailed gecko oviform and convex with a rounded snout and large eyes. There are no spines over the eyes. Adults have an average snout to vent length of 64mm. Adults are sexually dimorphic with females being larger than males.^[5] Males also have large hemipenal bulges while females do not.

Taxonomy

J. Douglas Ogilby was the first to identify Strophurus intermedius in 1892.^[4] The Strophurus (most species characterised by the spines along the back and tail) genus contains 18 recognised species, all of which are endemic to Australia. All of the species in this group have the same unique defence mechanism of squirting harmless but smelly liquid from the spines of their tails.^[3] Strophurus means 'turning tail' in latin while intermedius means 'intermediate'.^[6]

Distribution

The southern spiny tailed gecko are found in the southern most parts of the Northern Territory, Western Australia and Queensland. They are found all throughout the states of New South Wales and South Australia, and the northern half of Victoria.^[6] They are most commonly found around Alice Springs, NT.^[6] They are found in mallee shrublands and woodlands.

Ecology and Habitat

Southern spiny tailed geckos are nocturnal (night active) and terrestrial (group dwelling). They are ectotherms and are found in semi-arid, warm habitats. During the day, they will hide under rocks, bark of trees or in logs.^[7]^[3] They are also found in spinifex grass. During the night, they are active hunting for food.

They are generally found in vegetation such as shrubland, woodland and grassland.

Reproduction

The southern spiny tailed gecko are oviparous and will have two eggs at a time. Females will start reproducing at the age of two and will lay her eggs during the summer. it takes about 45 days for the eggs to hatch. Females are reproductively active over a 6 month period.^[5] Both females and males will reach maturity at two years of age.

Diet

The diet of the southern spiny tailed gecko consists exclusively of arthropods. These include species of spiders, centipedes, scorpions, cockroaches, crickets, beetles and their larvae.^[5] Its diet overlaps largely with its relative Strophorus spinigerus by almost 90%.^[5] These geckos are nocturnal and will hunt during the night.

Predators and Threats

The anti predator liquid that gets sprayed at attackers from the tail has been observed to be aimed for birds. However, the southern spiny tailed gecko might also encounter some introduced species of predators such as feral cats. In central Australia, feral cats have been known to feed on a wide range diet, including reptiles. It seems that during the summer, feral cats frequently feed on reptiles, including geckos:.^[8]

The southern spiny tailed gecko is not a threatened species.^[9] They have not yet been assessed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

References

1. ^Oliver, P., Shea, G. & Cogger, H. 2017. Strophurus intermedius. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T102702017A102702028 http://oldredlist.iucnredlist.org/details/102702017/0 Downloaded on 06 December 2017.
2. ^{{Cite journal|last=Sass|first=Steven|date=2006|title=The reptile fauna of Nombinnie Nature Reserve and State Conservation Area, western New South Wales|url=|journal=Australian Zoologist|volume=33|pages=511–518|via=}}
3. ^¹²³{{Cite journal|last=Hoser|first=Raymond|date=Spring 2005|title=A new subspecies of Strophurus intermedius (squamata: Gekkonidae) from South Australia|url=|journal=Journal of Herpetological Society of Queensland|volume=|pages=|via=}}
4. ^¹²{{Cite journal|last=Ogilby|first=J. Douglas|date=1892|title=Description of three new Australian lizards|url=|journal=Records of the Australian Museum|volume=2|pages=6–11|via=}}
5. ^¹²³{{Cite journal|last=How, Dell, Wellington|first=|date=1986|title=Comparative biology of eight species of Diplodactylus Gecko in Western Australia|url=|journal=Herpetologica|volume=42|pages=471–482|via=}}
6. ^¹²{{Cite web|url=http://www.arod.com.au/arod/reptilia/Squamata/Gekkonidae/Strophurus/intermedius|title=Southern spiny-tailed gecko (Strophurus intermedius) at the Australian Reptile Online Database {{!}} AROD.com.au|last=|first=|date=|website=www.arod.com.au|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}
7. ^Herring, M., McGregor, H., Herring, H., Webb, D. & Knight, A. (2008). "West Corurgan wildlife". Murray Catchment Management Authority.
8. ^{{Cite journal|last=Paltridge|first=Rachel|last2=Gibson|first2=David|last3=Edwards|first3=Glenn|date=1997|title=Diet of the Feral Cat (Felis catus) in Central Australia|url=|journal=Wildlife Research|language=|volume=24|issue=1|pages=67–76|doi=|issn=|via=}}
9. ^{{Cite web|url=http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:bcb9ba99-7cc6-46db-acaf-c35ecd5bd058|title=Strophurus intermedius : Eastern Spiny-tailed Gecko {{!}} Atlas of Living Australia|last=Australia|first=Atlas of Living|date=|website=bie.ala.org.au|language=en-AU|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}