Kingdom Animalia Suborder Sauria / Lacertilia Family Gekkonidae Scientific name Nactus serpensinsula Higher classification Nactus Order Scaled reptiles | Subphylum Vertebrata Infraorder Gekkota Genus Nactus Phylum Chordata Rank Species | |
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Similar Nactus, Round Island day gecko, Scaled reptiles, Ctenosaura oedirhina, Leiolopisma telfairii | ||
The Serpent Island gecko (Nactus serpensinsula) is a species of lizard in the Gekkonidae family. The species is endemic to Mauritius.
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Subspecies and distribution
Two subspecies are recognized, including the nominotypical subspecies, found on the two outlying islets:
On Mauritius itself Nactus serpensinsula is only known from fossils.
Etymology
The subspecific name, durrellorum, is in honor of English zookeeper Gerald Durrell and his second wife, American-born zookeeper Lee McGeorge Durrell.
Taxonomy
When naming their new subspecies in 1994, Arnold and Jones used durrelli, which is genetive singular, as the subspecific name. In 2004 Michels and Bauer pointed out that because the subspecies is named in honor of two people, the subspecific name should be in the genetive plural. Accordingly, they changed durrelli to durrellorum.