Haemodracon

Haemodracon
Haemodracon riebeckii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Sauria
Infraorder: Gekkota
Family: Phyllodactylidae
Genus: Haemodracon
Bauer, Good & Branch, 1997

Haemodracon is a small genus of rare geckos from Socotra archipelago.

It contains the following species:[1]

The genus name is related to Dracaena cinnabari — the most famous tree of Socotra. It gives a red resin known as dragon's blood. The word Haemodracon consist of Ancient Greek: αἷμα (haema) meaning "blood", and dracon meaning "dragon".[1] The specific name, riebeckii, is in honor of German ethnologist Emil Riebeck.[2]

H. riebeckii lives on Socotra Island and nearby Samhah Island. It is bigger, more widespread and more commonly seen. H. trachyrhinus lives only on Socotra Island.[3] Both species are regarded as Least concern by IUCN.[4][5] They are active at night and live mainly in rocky habitats.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 Bauer A.M.; Good D.A.; Branch W.R. (1997). "The taxonomy of the southern African leaf-toed geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with a review of Old World "Phyllodactylus " and the description of five new genera". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 4th ser. 49 (14): 447–497. ISSN 0068-547X.
  2. ↑ Beolens B.; Watkins M.; Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Haemodracon riebeckii, p. 221).
  3. 1 2 Razzetti E.; Sindaco R.; Grieco C.; et al. (2011). "Annotated checklist and distribution of the Socotran Archipelago Herpetofauna (Reptilia)" (PDF). Zootaxa. 2826: 1–44. ISSN 1175-5334.
  4. ↑ "Haemodracon riebeckii ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Haemodracon trachyrhinus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2014.


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