Rhynchoedura

Rhynchoedura is a genus of lizards in the family Diplodactylidae. It includes six species,[1] commonly known as beaked geckos, all of which are endemic to the arid zone of the Australian outback.[2]

Rhynchoedura
Rhynchoedura sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Rhynchoedura
Günther, 1867

Members of the genus are terrestrial and nocturnal, sheltering by day in spider burrows. They specialize in eating termites and are most abundant in open, recently burned areas.[3][4][5] They can be characterized by their long bodies and narrow heads with enlarged scales at the tip of the snout. Rhynchoedura species are widespread and occupy a range of dry woodland, shrubland, grassland, and desert environments, and none are currently considered to be at risk of extinction.

The genus was traditionally regarded as monotypic, with the single species Rhynchoedura ornata named by Albert Günther in 1867. A second species was described in 1985, though without widespread recognition at the time. In 2011 an extensive revision sampling the population across Australia found overlooked genetic diversity in the genus and named four new cryptic species. Each Rhynchoedura species is native to a specific perennial river drainage, and active rivers during wet periods of the Neogene could have led to allopatric speciation within the genus.[2]

Species
Image Species Taxon author Common name Distribution IUCN status
R. angusta Pepper, Doughty, Hutchinson, & Keough, 2011 Border beaked gecko Bulloo-Bancannia drainage basin, from western Queensland south to the border of western New South Wales and eastern South Australia Least Concern
R. eyrensis Pepper, Doughty, Hutchinson, & Keough, 2011 Eyre Basin beaked gecko Lake Eyre basin, eastern South Australia and surrounding areas Least Concern
R. mentalis Pepper, Doughty, Hutchinson, & Keough, 2011 Brigalow beaked gecko Southern Queensland Least Concern
R. ormsbyi Wells & Wellington, 1985 Eastern beaked gecko Murray-Darling basin, New South Wales north to southern Queensland Least Concern
R. ornata Günther, 1867 Western beaked gecko Western Australia and the western portions of the Northern Territory and South Australia Least Concern
R. sexapora Pepper, Doughty, Hutchinson, & Keough, 2011 Northern beaked gecko Kimberley region of Western Australia east to the Top End of the Northern Territory Least Concern

References
  1. Rhynchoedura at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 16 November 2017.
  2. Pepper, M.; Doughty, P.; Hutchinson, M.N.; Scott Keogh, J. (December 2011). "Ancient drainages divide cryptic species in Australia's arid zone: Morphological and multi-gene evidence for four new species of Beaked Geckos (Rhynchoedura)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 61 (3): 810–822. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.08.012. PMID 21884806.
  3. Pianka, Eric R.; Pianka, Helen D. (1976). "Comparative Ecology of Twelve Species of Nocturnal Lizards (Gekkonidae) in the Western Australian Desert" (PDF). Copeia. 1976 (1): 125–142. doi:10.2307/1443783. JSTOR 1443783 – via JSTOR.
  4. Letnic, M; Dickman, C. R; Tischler, M. K; Tamayo, B; Beh, C. -L (2004-10-01). "The responses of small mammals and lizards to post-fire succession and rainfall in arid Australia". Journal of Arid Environments. 59 (1): 85–114. Bibcode:2004JArEn..59...85L. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2004.01.014. ISSN 0140-1963.
  5. Pianka, Eric R.; Goodyear, Stephen E. (2012). "Lizard responses to wildfire in arid interior Australia: Long-term experimental data and commonalities with other studies" (PDF). Austral Ecology. 37 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2010.02234.x. ISSN 1442-9993.
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