Aside from the general lack of information on the subject of reptiles in Iraq, another factor that complicates identifying the various species is the plethora of common names ascribed to each one, not to mention the practically dizzying pace of taxonomic change.
Take the little fellow below, who is known as either the Bent-toed gecko, the Keeled Rock Gecko, the Rough-scaled gecko, the Rough-tailed gecko or the Rough thin-toed gecko, depending upon the source one consults.
The Latin names are just as bad. In the late fifties, when Professor Khalaf published Reptiles of Iraq, this species was known as Gymnodactylus scaber. Since then the entire Gymnodactylus genus has joined the Soviet Union in the dust bin of history. Previous to Khalaf’s publication our gecko had been known as Stenodactylus scaber, then Gymnodactylus geckoides. Afterwards; Cyrtodactylus scaber, then Tenuidactylus (Mesodactylus) scaber. Presently, the Latinate form is “Cyrtopodion scabrum.” There I hope it stays, if only to save some future geek from the arduous search I undertook in my quest to id the gecko in the picture above, one of a number sent in by our Iraqi herpetologist, 1LT. Bill
And when I say “arduous,” I mean “arduous.” I’m getting a callous on my Google finger.
If the plethora of appellations wasn’t enough, there’s also a striking variation in appearance among the species, which is perhaps why Khalaf relies so heavily on scale count and toe configuration for identification purposes in his book. This is the Iranian version–scanned in from Dr. Steven C. Anderson’s Lizards of Iran–of the Rough-tailed gecko, an individual he photographed in 1975 in the city of Abadan, just a hop, skip and a jump across the Shatt al-Arab from Iraq. Fortunately for my peace of mind, the Florida version of the species is much closer in appearance to the Baghdad Airport version, which is where 1LT Bill found the gecko above.
He found four other species as well. I figure I’m on track to id them all by the summer of 2007.
Notes: Prof’s Khalaf’s Reptiles of Iraq entry on the Gymnopdactylus/Cyrtopodion geckos appears below.
Previously: Geckos of the Hemodactylus Genus
Next: Geckos of the Phyllodactylus Genus
See Also: Birds of Iraq, Insects of Iraq, Fishes of Iraq
Continue reading ‘Reptiles of Iraq: The Rough-Tailed Gecko’ »
