Aeluroscalabotes felinus
Encyclopedia
The cat gecko, Aeluroscalabotes felinus, is a species
of gecko
found in Indonesia
, Malaysia, Singapore
, Cambodia
and Thailand
. It is the only species within the genus
Aeluroscalabotes, and the only genus found within the taxonomic
Subfamily
Aeluroscalabotinae. It is commonly called the cat gecko because of its habit of curling up with its tail
around itself when it sleeps, similar to a cat
.
-brown
in color with white
spots on its body, and solid white under its chin, and sometimes to the belly. Some specimens have brown blotching along the back. It is considered to be one of the more primitive geckos, and is physically quite similar in body structure to the few fossil
s of early geckos which have been discovered. They can grow to approximately 18 cm (7 inches), with males typically being smaller than females. Unlike most arboreal geckos it does not have toe pads (setae) which allow it to climb sheer surfaces. It instead relies on small retractile claws, and a prehensile
tail
habitats
, the cat gecko is primarily nocturnal
and insectivorous
, consuming a wide variety of small insect
s.
characteristics have clarified its status.
There are two recognized subspecies
of Aeluroscalabotes felinus:
gecko, though they are not very commonly available and captive breeding
is known to be difficult. Wild caught specimens often have heavy parasite loads, and they are easily susceptible to stress, so care can be difficult.
. It does not hold any particular conservation status, except in Thailand, where collection and export is prohibited.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of gecko
Gecko
Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
found in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Malaysia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It is the only species within the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Aeluroscalabotes, and the only genus found within the taxonomic
Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...
Subfamily
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Aeluroscalabotinae. It is commonly called the cat gecko because of its habit of curling up with its tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
around itself when it sleeps, similar to a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
.
Description
The cat gecko is a lightly built gecko, typically redRed
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
-brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
in color with white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
spots on its body, and solid white under its chin, and sometimes to the belly. Some specimens have brown blotching along the back. It is considered to be one of the more primitive geckos, and is physically quite similar in body structure to the few fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s of early geckos which have been discovered. They can grow to approximately 18 cm (7 inches), with males typically being smaller than females. Unlike most arboreal geckos it does not have toe pads (setae) which allow it to climb sheer surfaces. It instead relies on small retractile claws, and a prehensile
Prehensility
Prehensility is the quality of an appendage or organ that has adapted for grasping or holding. The word is derived from the Latin term prehendere, meaning "to grasp."-Examples:Appendages that can become prehensile include:...
tail
Behavior
semi-arboreal and preferring cool, humid, montane rainforestRainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
habitats
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
, the cat gecko is primarily nocturnal
Nocturnal animal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by activity during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal"....
and insectivorous
Insectivore
An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....
, consuming a wide variety of small insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
Taxonomy
The species has been redescribed by several different taxonomists, leading to some early confusion in its classification, but its distinctly different morphologicalComparative anatomy
Comparative anatomy is the study of similarities and differences in the anatomy of organisms. It is closely related to evolutionary biology and phylogeny .-Description:...
characteristics have clarified its status.
There are two recognized subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of Aeluroscalabotes felinus:
- Aeluroscalabotes felinus felinus (GüntherAlbert C. L. G. GüntherAlbert Karl Ludwig Gotthilf Günther FRS, also Albert Charles Lewis Gotthilf Günther , was a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist....
, 1864) - Aeluroscalabotes felinus multituberculatus (Kopstein, 1927)
In captivity
The Cat gecko is a popular choice for a petPet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
gecko, though they are not very commonly available and captive breeding
Captive breeding
Captive breedingis the process of breeding animals in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife reserves, zoos and other conservation facilities; sometimes the process is construed to include release of individual organisms to the wild, when there is sufficient...
is known to be difficult. Wild caught specimens often have heavy parasite loads, and they are easily susceptible to stress, so care can be difficult.
Conservation status
Exact population counts of the Cat gecko are unknown, though it is not considered to be common throughout its rangeRange (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
. It does not hold any particular conservation status, except in Thailand, where collection and export is prohibited.