Amaral's Brazilian gecko

Template:Short description Template:Speciesbox Amaral's Brazilian gecko (Hemidactylus brasilianus) is a species of nocturnal gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to the arid Jalapão region in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Minas Gerais.

Description

Hemidactylus brasilianus is a bluish-gray, oviparous, tree-dwelling species, which feeds on herbivorous insects and other invertebrates. It has immovable (fixed) eyelids. Being nocturnal, it has vertically oriented pupils. It has a life span of about 6–13 years, and is sexually mature at 6–9 months. It is about Template:Cvt long (tail included), and about Template:Cvt wide.

Behavior

Hemidactylus brasilianus cannot change its colour. When attacked by a bird, it runs in circles, confusing the predator. When attacked by a ground animal, it climbs a high tree, runs in tall grass, or tries to hide under leaves, rocks, and other things it can find.

Further reading

• Amaral, A. do (1935). "Um novo genero e duas novas especies de Geckonideos e uma nova raça de Amphisbaenideo, procedentes do Brasil Central ". Memórias do Instituto Butantan 9: 253–256. (Briba brasiliana, new species). (in Portuguese).
• Carranza, S.; Arnold, E.N. (2006). "Systematics, biogeography, and evolution of Hemidactylus geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) elucidated using mitochondrial DNA sequences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38 (2): 531–545
• Rösler, H. (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Briba brasiliana, p. 61). (in German).
• Vitt, L.J.; Caldwell, J.P.; Colli, G.R.; Garda, A.A.; Mesquita, D.O.; França, F.G.R.; Balbino, S.F. (2002). Um guia fotográfico dos répteis e anfíbios da região do Jalapão no Cerrado brasileiro. Norman, Oklahoma: Special Publications in Herpetology. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. 17 pp. (in Portuguese).