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The call of the Sri Lankan golden gecko Calodactylodes illingworthorum, ecological parallel of the fan-toed geckos, genus Ptyodactylus (Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae)

Yehudah L. Werner, Evgeny Chernis & Roni Granot (2008). The call of the Sri Lankan golden gecko Calodactylodes illingworthorum, ecological parallel of the fan-toed geckos, genus Ptyodactylus (Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae). Bioacoustics, Volume 18 (1): 35 -49

 

Abstract: 

Based on nine calls of Calodactylodes illingworthorum recorded in the wild in Sri Lanka, the ‘spontaneous’ call of the species is a very rapid series of 4-7 roughly similar chirps. Call parameters are compared to those of Ptyodactylus guttatus of Israel because the species are similar in morphology (size, proportions, digit shape, scutellation, coloration), ecology (rupicolous, nocturnal), and reproductive biology (clutches of two eggs, stuck to rock, in ‘rookeries’). The calls of the two species, despite similarity in basic structure, greatly differ in the number of chirps, chirp repetition rate, total duration, dominant frequency, and relative intensity level. The functional implications of these differences are briefly considered.

Keywords: 

Calodactylodes illingworthorum, gecko, multiple-chirp call, Ptyodactylus, temporal and spectral analysis, vocalization.

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