Peringuey's leaf-toed gecko

Peringuey's leaf-toed gecko (Cryptactites peringueyi), also known commonly as the salt marsh gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to South Africa.

Peringuey's leaf-toed gecko
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Gekkota
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Cryptactites Bauer et al., 1997
Species:	C. peringueyi
Binomial name
Cryptactites peringueyi (Boulenger, 1910)
Synonyms[2]
Phyllodactylus peringueyi Boulenger, 1910 Cryptactites peringueyi — Bauer, Good & Branch, 1997

Etymology

The specific name, peringueyi, is in honor of French entomologist Louis Péringuey.^[3]

Description

C. peringueyi 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.^{[citation needed]} It has a red-brown body sometimes with thin, pale dark stripes.^{[citation needed]}

Behavior and reproduction

Peringuey's leaf-toed gecko is nocturnal and lives in matted marsh vegetation where it lays two minute eggs in summer.^{[citation needed]}

Geographic range and habitat

C. peringueyi is endemic to South Africa, being restricted to a few salt marshes in the Eastern Cape.^{[citation needed]}

Conservation status

C. peringueyi was believed to be extinct for a long time, but a tiny population was rediscovered in 1992 by the estuary of the Kromme river.^{[citation needed]}