Lutz's gecko

Lutz's gecko (Phyllopezus lutzae), also known commonly as Bogert's gecko and Lutz' marked gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Phyllodactylidae. The species is endemic to Brazil.<ref>Loveridge A (1941). "Bogertia lutzae — A New Genus and Species of Gecko from Bahia, Brazil". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 54: 195–196.</ref>

Etymology

The specific name, lutzae, is in honor of Brazilian herpetologist Bertha Lutz.<ref name=EDR/> The original generic name, Bogertia, was in honor of American herpetologist Charles Mitchill Bogert.<ref name=EDR>Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. Template:ISBN. (Bogertia lutzae, pp. 30, 163).</ref>

Geographic range

Phyllopezus lutzae is found in northeastern Brazil, in the Brazilian states of Bahia, Paraíba, and Pernambuco.<ref name=RDB>Template:EMBL species. www.reptile-database.org.</ref>

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Phyllopezus lutzae is forest.<ref name="iucn status 18 November 2021" />

Behavior

Phyllopezus lutzae is terrestrial, and it is both diurnal and nocturnal.<ref name="iucn status 18 November 2021" />

Defensive behavior

If threatened, Phyllopezus lutzae may vocalize, and it may shed its tail (autotomy).<ref name="iucn status 18 November 2021" />

Diet

Phyllopezus lutzae preys upon arthropods, mainly spiders and beetles. Its diet varies ontogenetically and seasonally.<ref name="iucn status 18 November 2021" />

Reproduction

Phyllopezus lutzae is oviparous.<ref name=RDB/>

Taxonomy

This species was originally described as Bogertia lutzae by Loveridge (1941). Based on DNA analysis, Gamble et al. (2012) placed the species Bogertia lutzae in the genus Phyllopezus as Phyllopezus lutzae, along with three other described species and several undescribed species.<ref>Gamble T, Colli GR, Rodrigues MT, Werneck FP, Simons AM (2012). "Phylogeny and cryptic diversity in geckos (Phyllopezus; Phyllodactylidae; Gekkota) from South America's open biomes". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62 (3): 943–953. (Phyllopezus lutzae, new combination).</ref>

Further reading

• Albuquerque, Pedro Ricardo Alexandre de; Morais, Mayara da Silva Ribeiro de; Moura, Pedro Teófilo Silva de; Santos, Wendy Narjara Silva; Costa, Renato Magnum Tavares; Delfim, Fagner Ribeiro; Pontes, Bruna Elizabeth Silva de (2019). "Phyllopezus lutzae (Loveridge, 1941) (Squamata, Phyllodactylidae): new records from the Brazilian state of Paraíba". Check List 15 (1): 49–53.
• Freitas MA (2014). "Squamate reptiles of the Atlantic Forest of northern Bahia, Brazil". Check List 10 (5): 1020–1030.
• Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Gekkotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Bogertia lutzae, p. 61). (in German).

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