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Gekkonidae

Family of lizards

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  • 4 chapters
Tokay Gecko. From Dare East Timor. Often heard at dusk calling "Toh - Keh"
Nick Hobgood · CC BY 2.0

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The genus Hemidactylus is one of the most species-rich and widely distributed of all reptile genera.

Fossils

The family Gekkonidae is a member of the infraorder Gekkota, which seems to have first emerged during the Jurassic period (201–145 million years ago). Eichstaettisaurus schroederi is recognized as one of the earliest examples of an ancestral gecko species. Members of the genus Eichstaettisaurus display morphological adaptations associated with climbing. Eichstaettisaurus has been ranked as a stem gekkotan, but its true taxonomic rank is unclear.

The species Hoburogekko suchanovi and Gobekko cretacicus, dated to the Albian-Aptian ages (121–100 million years ago) ages of the Cretaceous period, are unquestionably members of Gekkota. They are thought to be members of the Gekkonidae, as well, but their taxonomic rank is uncertain due to the incompleteness of the fossil remains.

Yantarogekko balticus is the earliest known gekkonid gecko. Y. balticus was discovered in Baltic amber dated to the Eocene epoch (56–33.9 million years ago). This species was small, measuring only 20–22 mm from snout to vent. Y. balticus has enlarged, undivided scansorial pads and a reduced but strongly clawed first digit, and lacks movable eyelids. Together, these morphological traits are distinctive of the family Gekkonidae, and also indicate that Y. balticus may have had adhesive abilities similar to modern geckos.

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Monotypic taxonTaxonomic group with only one subordinate taxonSpecies descriptionFormal description of a discovered speciesParaphylyType of taxonomic groupIUCN Red ListInventory of the global conservation status of biological speciesSubtropicsGeographic and climate zoneCommon nameName generally used for a taxon, group of taxa or organism(s)