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''Hoplodactylus'' is a genus of geckos endemic to New Zealand. There are two genera of geckos found in New Zealand, both endemic, the other being ''Naultinus''. == Description == Species in this genus tend to have rather dull colouration with little variation on a generally brown/grey theme, although mottled greens are seen in some species, notably the forest gecko (''Hoplodactylus granulatus''). The one exception to this rule of general drabness in colouration is the striking "herring boned" colour pattern of green, brown, black and white that is displayed by the "Harlequin Gecko" (''Hoplodactylus rakiurae''). Although generally species of this genus cannot compete with those of ''Naultinus'' in terms of their vivid and beautiful colouration, ''Hoplodactylus'' species do have the ability to subtly change their skin colour pattern to give better camouflage, thus reducing the risk of predation. "In some of the Hoplodactylus species, the ability to change colour provides a supplementary method of thermoregulation"( *1). When basking in cold conditions they can darken their skin to increase the amount of heat absorbed and conversely they can lighten the shades in hot weather to reflect more light and keep cool. All species in this genus have more or less nocturnal activity patterns in contrast to the solely diurnal nature of ''Naultinus'' species and unlike species in the latter genus, are not purely arboreal and will forage on the ground. ''Hoplodactylus'' species do not have ''prehensile'' tails and are thus generally less reluctant to drop them when disturbed by predators than species in the ''Naultinus'' genus - however, there are two exceptions, the Goldstripe gecko ''Hoplodactylus chrysosireticus'' and the Pacific gecko ''Hoplodactylus pacificus'' both have a very flighty disposition and will often shed their tails at the slightest provocation. Many species of the ''Hoplodactylus'' genus also have toes that are broader and more expanded than their relatives in the ''Naultinus'' genus. The key differences between New Zealand's two endemic gecko genera are summarised in the table below *references used for this table;〔George Gibbs, "''Ghosts of Gondwana; the History of Life in New Zealand''", Craig Potton publishing, 2006〕〔Brian Gill and Tony Whitaker, "''New Zealand Frogs and Reptiles", David Bateman publishing, 1996〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hoplodactylus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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