Reproduction in a gecko assemblage (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) in the Marañon Region (Peru) and comments on the largest gecko in the New World

Authors

  • Janina Aurich Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig
  • Claudia Koch Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig
  • Wolfgang Böhme Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v14i1p53-62

Keywords:

Equatorial dry forest, gravid females, Marañon Valley, Phyllopezus maranjonensis, Phyllodactylus delsolari, Phyllodactylus reissii, Phyllodactylus thompsoni, reproductive cycle, X-ray.

Abstract

Reproduction is described for four phyllodactylid geckos, Phyllopezus maranjonensis, Phyllodactylus delsolari, P. thompsoni and P. reissii from the upper Marañon Valley, Peru. Observations were made between March and May 2010 and voucher specimens, already housed in the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), were X-rayed to check for gravid females. Gravid female P. maranjonensis, P. delsolari and P. reissii contain two eggs, whereas P. thompsoni produces a single egg that is deposited in leaf litter or crevices of stone walls. It is likely that females of all of these species produce multiple clutches in one year; the reproductive period seems to be extended in at least two species. Furthermore, measurements of numerous specimens of all four species are presented herein, revealing that Phyllopezus maranjonensis is the largest species of New World geckos.

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Author Biographies

  • Janina Aurich, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig
    Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
  • Claudia Koch, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig
    Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
  • Wolfgang Böhme, Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig
    Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig (ZFMK), Adenauerallee 160, 53113 Bonn, Germany.

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Published

2015-06-30

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Reproduction in a gecko assemblage (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) in the Marañon Region (Peru) and comments on the largest gecko in the New World. (2015). Phyllomedusa: Journal of Herpetology, 14(1), 53-62. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2316-9079.v14i1p53-62