- Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko
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Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko 
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Sauria Family: Gekkonidae Subfamily: Gekkoninae Genus: Afrogecko Species: A. porphyreus Binomial name Afrogecko porphyreus
(Smith, 1846)Synonyms Phyllodactylus porphyreus
The Marbled Leaf-toed Gecko (Afrogecko porphyreus) is a flat, medium-sized gecko that is indigenous to the Western Cape Province of South Africa.
This gecko occurs commonly in the southern parts of South Africa, from Cape Town (where it now inhabits suburban gardens) eastwards as far as the Eastern Cape. It has a mottled, greyish marble-coloured body, a long tail and sometimes a pale stripe along its back. It is an adaptable little forager, hiding under debris, beneath bark, among rocks and even in city houses. These geckos eat large numbers of small insects, so a population of them living on one's property serves as a natural form of pest-control. However, domestic cats - as introduced predators - will usually kill large numbers of these little lizards, often exterminating them from the immediate area.
Marbled Leaf-toed geckos are not aggressive or territorial, and several of them will often live together in a single retreat. These sociable lizards will even share nests, where several females will lay their eggs. [1]
References
Categories:- Gekkonidae
- Reptiles of South Africa
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