Peking gecko

The Peking gecko (Gekko swinhonis) is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to China.^[2]

Peking gecko
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Infraorder:	Gekkota
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Gekko
Species:	G. swinhonis
Binomial name
Gekko swinhonis Günther, 1864
Synonyms[2]
Gecko swinhonis R. Swinhoe, 1863 (nomen nudum) Gecko swinhonis Günther, 1864 Gekko swinhonis — Schmidt, 1927 Gekko (Japonigekko) swinhonis — Wood et al., 2019

Etymology

The specific name, swinhonis, is in honor of English naturalist Robert Swinhoe.^[3]

Geographic range

G. swinhonis occurs in northern China, north of the Yangtze River.^[1] But they had also been introduced to Incheon, South Korea via ships.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitats of G. swinhonis are arid and moist grasslands and plains.^[1]

Reproduction

G. swinhonis is oviparous.^[2]

Taxonomy

The species G. swinhonis was first described by British herpetologist Albert Günther in 1864.^[2]

Conservation status

G. swinhonis has been assessed as "Vulnerable" due to an inferred 30% population decline over the last three generations due to harvest levels. This species has a relatively wide distribution but it is exploited for traditional medicine and is impacted by habitat loss and degradation.^[1]

References

1. Yan, J. (2021). "Gekko swinhonis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T178208A127944524. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T178208A127944524.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
2. Gekko swinhonis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 15 May 2018.
3. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Gekko swinhonis, p. 258).

Further reading

• Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. Geckonidæ ... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (Gecko swinhonis, p. 189).
• Günther ACLG (1864). The Reptiles of British India. London: The Ray Society. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xxvii + 452 pp. + Plates I-XXVI. (Gecko swinhonis, new species, p. 104 + PlateXII, figure A).
• Li H-M, Zeng D-L, Guan Q-X, Qin P-S, Qin X-M (2013). "Complete mitochondrial genome of Gekko swinhonis (Squamata, Gekkonidae)". Mitochondrial DNA 24 (2): 86–88.
• Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Gekko swinhonis, p. 82). (in German).