Subphylum Vertebrata Scientific name Cryptactites | Phylum Chordata Class Reptilia Suborder Sauria Rank Genus | |
Similar Afrogecko, Perochirus, Paragehyra, Calodactylodes, Crossobamon | ||
Peringuey's leaf-toed gecko, Cryptactites peringueyi, is a South African species of gecko named after French entomologist Louis Péringuey.
It is particularly tiny, not growing more than about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in total length (including tail), making it the smallest lizard in the region, along with the striped dwarf leaf-toed gecko of the Western Cape.
It has a red-brown body sometimes with thin, pale dark stripes.
This leaf-toed gecko is nocturnal and lives in matted marsh vegetation where it lays two minute eggs in summer.
It is endemic to South Africa, being restricted to a few salt marshes in the Eastern Cape.
It was believed to be extinct for a long time, but a tiny population was rediscovered in 1992 by the estuary of the Kromme river.