Gekko smithii

Gekko smithii, commonly known as Smith's green-eyed gecko or the large forest gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to mainland Southeast Asia and Indonesia.

Gekko smithii
in hunter's cage
from Upper Seruyan, Central Kalimantan
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Gekko
Species:
G. smithii
Binomial name
Gekko smithii
Gray, 1842
Synonyms[2]
  • Gekko smithii
    Gray, 1842
  • Platydactylus stentor
    Cantor, 1847
  • Platydactylus albomaculatus
    Giebel, 1861
  • Gecko stentor
    — Günther, 1864
  • Gecko smithii
    — Stoliczka, 1870
  • Gekko smithi
    — M.A. Smith, 1935
  • Gekko smithii
    — Manthey & Grossman, 1997

Description

G. smithii is one of the biggest geckos, reaching a total length (including tail) of 35 cm (14 in).

Etymology

The specific name, smithii, is in honor of Scottish zoologist Andrew Smith (1797–1872), who was the founder of the South African Museum.[3]

Similar species

Species of similar appearance include Gekko taylori and Gekko gecko, as well as Gekko verreauxii (from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and Gekko siamensis (from central Thailand).

Geographic range

G. smithii is found in southern Thailand (Satun, Narathiwatk Pattani), Singapore, western Malaysia (Pulau Pinang, Perak, Pahang, Selangor, Pulau Tioman), Myanmar (Burma), India (Nicobar Islands), and Indonesia (Borneo, Sumatra, Pulau Nias, Java).[2]

The type locality is "Prince of Wales' Island" (= Pulau Pinang, West Malaysia).[4]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of G. smithii is forest.[1]

Diet

G. smithii preys on insects, especially grasshoppers.[5]

Reproduction

The sexually mature female G. smithii lays a clutch of two eggs. The eggs are almost spherical, the average egg measuring 20 x 19 mm (0.79 x 0.75 in).[5]

References
  1. Richman N, Böhm M (2010). "Gekko smithii ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T178240A7504944. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T178240A7504944.en. Downloaded on 31 May 2018.
  2. "Gekko smithii ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Gekko smithii, p. 246).
  4. Gray, 1842.
  5. Das I (2006). A Photographic Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Borneo. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 144 pp. ISBN 0-88359-061-1. (Gekko smithii, p. 100).

Further reading
  • Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. Geckonidæ, Eublepharidæ, Uroplatidæ, Pygopodidæ, Agamidæ. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (Gecko stentor, pp. 184–185).
  • Gray JE (1842). "Description of some new species of Reptiles, chiefly from the British Museum collection". The Zoological Miscellany 2: 57–59. (Gecko smithii, new species, p. 57).
  • Grossmann W (2004). "Gekko smithii Gray 1842". Sauria Supplement 26 (3): 627–634.
  • Rösler H (2001). "Studien am Tokeh: 1. Gekko gecko azhari Mertens 1955 (Sauria: Gekkonidae)". Gekkota 3: 33–46.
  • Smith MA (1935). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. II.—Sauria. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xiii + 440 pp. + Plate I + 2 maps. (Gekko smithi, p. 113).
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