Morphological Characteristics Mealybugs

Adult large geckos can reach a total length of 300 millimeters. The tail length is equal to or slightly longer than the head and body length, and it is the largest type of gecko. The dorsal surface is brick gray, densely covered with orange and blue-gray spots, and the tail has rings of different shades; the ventral surface is gray with pink spots. Head large, slightly triangular, trunk dorsal and ventral flattening, covered with fine granular scales throughout the body, interspersed with larger warty scales, adorned with longitudinal rows; ventral scales are larger, slightly hexagonal. Limbs of moderate length, flattened fingers and toes, with a single row of skin folds underneath; in addition to the first fingers and toes, are with small claws, only webbing between the fingers and toes. Males with more than 20 preanal pores. The muzzle scales are not connected to the nostrils. Body size is large, the whole length can reach more than 300 millimeters. Dorsal warty scales scattered between granular scales in about 12-14 longitudinal rows. Fingers and toes slightly webbed. Caudal base with 1 or 2-3 anal warts per side, 16-26 pre-anal and femoral pores in males. Cephalic body 1.01-1.23 times as long as caudal length, anastomosis more than twice as long as eye diameter, anastomotic scales slightly pentagonal, not connected to nostrils, dorsal surface of body covered with small polygonal scales. Tail slightly longitudinally flattened, base with 1 or 2-3 anal warts on each side, ventral surface of tail covered with larger square scales, center without transversely enlarged scale plate. Dorsal surface bluish-gray or purplish-gray in life, with brick-red and blue patches, dorsal surface of liquid-immersed specimens brown, with indistinct brick-red and bluish-gray patches. On neck and dorsal surface of carapace. The blue blotches form 6-8 narrow transverse spots. Limbs and dorsum of tail also with transverse spots, transverse spots on dorsum of tail 6-8. Juveniles have alternating black and white rings on the tail, with a wide black ring. The ventral surface of the body is flesh-colored.

Habitat

Inhabits rock crevices, caves, or tree holes in mountain rocks or wilderness, and sometimes near the eaves and walls of people's homes. In Guangxi, China, it mainly lives in subtropical limestone rocky mountains with small trees and water sources for drinking, and the average annual temperature is above 20℃. In Yunnan, there are three types of habitats: one is in tree holes, the second is in the house environment, and the third is in the fissures of the karstic rocky mountains (estuaries), and the three environments are characterized by the same feature of being surrounded by farmland.

Mealybugs Habitat Physical

The large gecko is usually active from March to November, and hibernates in the depths of rock crevices from December to January. Hearing is strong, but daytime vision is poor, afraid of bright light ***, pupils often close into a vertical slit. Night out activities and foraging, the pupil can be expanded by about four times, enhanced vision, dexterous tongue can also be stretched out of the mouth, occasionally licking off the dust on the surface of the eyes. It is agile, crawling head off the ground, the back of the body with the limbs of the left and right interactive twisting forward, the soles of the feet of the adsorption ability is very strong, can crawl freely on the wall. It is thought that it has suction cups under its feet, but in fact, the expanded pads of its toes are not suction cups, but the scales under the pads and toes are densely covered with rows and rows of bundles of velvet-like microvilli, like a curved hooks, so that it can easily grasp the object, and it can crawl on the walls and even on the glass, and the secretion of the glands on the tip of the microvilli can enhance its adsorption power.

Mealybugs broken tail

The tail of the big gecko is easy to break, but can be regenerated, this is due to the tail vertebrae have a smooth joint surface, the front and back half of the tail vertebrae connecting up, this place of the muscles, skin, scales are relatively thin and lax, so when the tail is attacked can be swung violently, through the tail muscle strong contraction, causing the tail vertebrae in the joint surface of the fracture, as a way to escape from the enemy. Because the tail is in the form of glycogen rather than simply in the form of fat storage energy, and glycogen is more likely to release energy, so just broken down the tail of the nerves and muscles have not yet died immediately, and will trigger the reflex arc, so that the tail will be trembling on the ground, you can play a role in diverting the sight of the natural enemy, and therefore in the folklore is also rumored to be a big gecko's broken tail will be drilled into the ears of the people's ridiculous claims. After breaking the tail, the wound on the self-inflicted surface will soon heal, forming a tail bud base, after a period of cell division and growth, and then transferred to the differentiation stage of forming scales, and finally grow a brand new regenerated tail, but compared with the original tail, it appears to be short and thick. However, the great gecko only breaks its tail when it has no other choice, for a broken tail is, after all, a serious injury to its body, and not only does it lose the fat stored in its tail, but it also loses its status among its own kind as a result. Especially in courtship, a large gecko with an intact tail has a great advantage over one that has lost its tail.

Mealybugs Food

The large gecko's diet is dominated by a variety of moving insects, including mayflies, grasshoppers, moths, cicadas, yellow mealworms, and silkworm moths, etc. The large gecko does not consume dead insects or food, but it can be released in captivity after being domesticated. The process of artificial cultivation of the big gecko should be based on the principle of animal insects and plant insects, otherwise it is easy to lead to malnutrition and disease of the big gecko.

Distribution

Mainly distributed in the west from Bangladesh, eastward to the countries of the Central and South Peninsula, south to Indonesia, the Philippines and other places. In China, it is found in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Fujian and Yunnan. It has been recorded in Taiwan Province.

Mealybug Distribution Breeding

The breeding period of the great gecko is generally between May and June *** mating, and June and July is the peak of egg-laying. mating and egg-laying begin in May, but the most eggs are laid in June and July, and their duration is about 4-5 months. Two eggs are laid at a time, white, with a leathery sheath on the outside, slightly smaller than those of pigeons, rounded, weighing 5-7 grams, and can adhere to the walls of caves or rock surfaces, with an incubation period of 35-45 days, sometimes taking longer. The body length of the newly emerged hatchling is about 8 centimeters. In Guangxi Guinan region, the eggs produced after early August will not hatch until March of the following year, taking 198-205 days, and the hibernation period is from October to March.

Big geckos often fight over females during the breeding season if there are too many males. Males usually grab each other with their mouths when mating with a female ***. To attract a mate, the male can hear a message from the female over a wide area. This message is a loud "pair call" repeated several times. The male approaches the female from behind, moving from side to side while holding her in place with his teeth and biting on the neck. Female geckos mate and then lay eggs the following year. Female large geckos tend to choose darker corners, top corners, and side walls to lay their eggs. Oval, hard-shelled eggs (from 3 mm to 45 mm) are laid securely in a solid nest, and these eggs are guarded by the parents until hatching. In captivity, great geckos are prone to eat their own eggs when hungry.

Subspecies differentiation Great gecko (2 subspecies) Serial number Chinese name Scientific name Named by and dating 1 Great gecko Bengal subspecies Gekko gecko azhari Mertens, 1955 2 Great gecko named subspecies Gekko gecko gecko Linnaeus, 1758 Status of populations Distribution

According to the Chinese surveys in eight areas of Guangxi, except for the

According to a survey in eight regions of Guangxi, except for Guilin, 228 townships or villages in 48 counties (cities) under the jurisdiction of the other seven regions have a distribution. Before 1967, it was quite abundant, with an average annual production of up to 240,000 pairs and a maximum annual production of 408,000 pairs; in the early 1960s, the annual acquisition was only 53,000 pairs; in 1963-1965, the production rose, with an average annual acquisition of about 378,000 pairs; in 1968-1976, the production basically remained around 150,000 pairs; after 1978, the resources of the giant gecko declined rapidly. After 1978, the large gecko resources declined rapidly, and the average annual acquisition was about 38,600 pairs.

In 1995, a survey of the geckos in Longrui Nature Reserve in Guangxi showed that more than 2400 geckos were killed in Longrui Nature Reserve every year.

Around 1998, the number of great geckos in China declined sharply and was on the verge of extinction.

In May-June 2008, a survey of the Langgang Nature Reserve found that there were more giant geckos in the Langgang piece, and fewer distributed in the Longshan and Longhu pieces, with an estimated population density of 13.45 pairs/square kilometer.

Causes of Endangerment

The population of Chinese giant gecko has been drastically reduced and nearly depleted. Because it is used in traditional Chinese medicine, the gecko has been captured in large quantities, the production has been drastically reduced, and the price has risen dramatically, so that *** the people hunt it, so that it is in a state of depletion. In addition, the destruction of the natural environment and the gradual shrinkage of the gecko's habitat is also an important factor affecting its decline. Although the research on artificial domestication and breeding has been started since the 1950s, the scale is very small, and the problem of feed and reproduction has not been well solved, so it is difficult to say that it has been successful, let alone a large-scale increase in production to meet market demand.

Protective measures:

The big gecko should be upgraded to the national Grade I protected animal in time. In a certain period of time to close the mountains and prohibit fishing, to be gradually opened after the number of recovery to a certain level. Establish a nature reserve with the great gecko as the main object of protection. Prohibition of trade

The great gecko is a national Grade II protected animal in China. According to Article 341 of the Criminal Law: Anyone who illegally hunts and kills precious and endangered wild animals under the state's key protection, or illegally acquires, transports or sells precious and endangered wild animals under the state's key protection and their products shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years, or criminal detention, and fined; if the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years but not more than ten years. If the circumstances are particularly serious, the penalty shall be fixed-term imprisonment of ten years or more, and a fine or confiscation of property.

According to China's survey statistics in the 1980s, China exported more than 400,000 large geckos to foreign countries each year, while in the early 1990s, there were less than 200,000 per year, and in the late 1990s, the number dropped sharply, with less than 70,000 collected each year.

Illegal international trade:

In January 2000, the Public Security Bureau of Xiangyun County, Yunnan Province, seized 5,580 smuggled giant geckos.

On August 2, 2006, Gongbei Customs handed over to Zhuhai Animal and Plant Protection Office about 328 kilograms of seized dried giant geckos.

In 2005, Shenzhen Customs Anti-smuggling Bureau seized 6,882 dried giant geckos.

In May 2006, the Xiamen Customs Anti-Smuggling Bureau seized 3,860 large geckos smuggled into the country.

In April 2008, Guangzhou Forest Public Security Bureau seized 10 smuggled giant geckos.

In December 2013, the Gao Yao District of Zhaoqing City seized the illegal acquisition of 40 large geckos was sentenced to 10 years and 3 months in prison.

Protection level

Chinese national key protection level: Grade II Effective date: 1989.

Chinese Red Book of Threatened Animals level: Endangered.

Approved by the State Council of China on December 10, 1988, the great gecko was listed as a State Class II protected animal in the List of Wild Animals under State Key Protection, jointly issued by the Ministry of Forestry and the Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China*** and the State Council of the People's Republic of China on January 14, 1989.

The great gecko was listed as a State Class II protected animal.