Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this web-site were taken by Paul Smith, Hemme Batjes, Regis Nossent,
Alberto Esquivel, Arne Lesterhuis, José Luis Cartes, Rebecca Zarza and Hugo del Castillo and are used with their permission.
MICROORDER GEKKOTA
The Gekkota are represented by a single family in Parguay, the Gekkonidae. This Microorder has a worldwide distribution, reaching its greatest diversity in Africa and tropical Asia. Included in this family are some species that have become effectively commensals of man and have an artificially extended distribution as a result of colonisation of new areas due to their association with man´s activities. In Paraguay this is the case with the exotic species Hemidactylus mabouia.
Members of this Microorder have frontals which fuse during ontogeny. The upper temporal arcade and postorbital arch are both lacking and there is no parietal foramen. Lachrymal is generally absent and the occipital condyle is divided. Splenial is reduced or absent. They possess unique paired egg-teeth on hatching. Pupil is usually vertical, but circular in some. Clutch size is small, usually 1 or 2 eggs, but with a maximum of 4.
FAMILY GEKKONIDAE - GECKOS
Five Paraguayan species in four genera, Homonota, Lygodactylus, Phyllopezus and the exotic Hemidactylus. All the Paraguayan species belong to the same subfamily Gekkoninae. One species in this family is endemic to Paraguay. Geckos have intercentra present in the trunk. The skin is soft with granular scales and the head scales are small. Jaw teeth are pleurodont and there are no palatal teeth. Osteoderms are rarely present and there are 1 to 3 sternal ribs. Tail is frequently autotomous and is often used in signalling. Two pairs of limbs are present.
SUBFAMILY GEKKONINAE - GECKOS
Members of this subfamily lack true eyelids and a spectacle is present. The premaxilla is single and the preanal glands may be present or absent. Cloacal sacs and 1 or 2 pairs of cloacal bones are present. Parietal is paired. Splenial is usually present and angular usually absent. Vertebrae are amphiocoelous. They are capable of making vocalisations. Two eggs per clutch.
REFERENCES
Fouquette MJ (unpublished) - Synopsis of Recent Reptiles to Genus - Arizona University
Whitfield P Ed.1984 - Longman Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia - Guild Publishing, London.
