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handle: 11697/227544
The European leaf toed Gecko,Euleptes europaea, is a strictly nocturnal species endemic to the western Mediterranean and has long been considered a rock-specialist as it is associated with this habitat during its entire daily and life cycle. In this study, we report observations of arboreal behaviour inE. europaea, collected during field research over a 40-year period from across the entire species range. We provide a review of the available information on this topic that contributes to a refined view of the habitat uses and arboreal abilities of this species. Arboreal behaviour inE. europaeawas observed throughout the year, across different macrohabitats, on a wide variety of tree, shrub, and bush species, on various parts of the plant (trunk, branches, fronds, twigs, leaves), and at different height from the ground. Remarkably,E. europaeashows an extraordinarily agile arboreal locomotion associated with striking morphological adaptations to an arboreal lifestyle, namely a prehensile tail bearing a terminal adhesive pad that supplements grasping force, an equilibrium asset, and scansor adhesion both in static condition and during escape. We conclude thatE. europaeais a climbing gecko (opposed to ground dwelling), occupying both rocky and arboreal microhabitats. While the evolutionary origin and ecological drivers of the arboreal behaviour ofE. europaearemains to be fully investigated, this realization has important implications for designing fieldwork research and management strategies for conservation.
Sarcopterygii, Gekkota, Amniota, vegetation cover, Gnathostomata, arboreal behaviour, Squamata, Animalia, Sphaerodactylidae, Chordata, tail pads, Vertebrata, Tetrapoda, Euleptes europaea, rock crevices, Biota, Euleptes, prehensile tail, QL1-991, Osteichthyes, microhabitat use, arboreal behaviour; Gekkota; microhabitat use; prehensile tail; rock crevices; tail pads; vegetation cover, Zoology
Sarcopterygii, Gekkota, Amniota, vegetation cover, Gnathostomata, arboreal behaviour, Squamata, Animalia, Sphaerodactylidae, Chordata, tail pads, Vertebrata, Tetrapoda, Euleptes europaea, rock crevices, Biota, Euleptes, prehensile tail, QL1-991, Osteichthyes, microhabitat use, arboreal behaviour; Gekkota; microhabitat use; prehensile tail; rock crevices; tail pads; vegetation cover, Zoology
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