NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Paroedura maingoka Nussbaum & Raxworthy, 2000
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Paroedura maingoka, Parc National de Tsimanapetsotse, Région Atsimo Andrefana
Paroedura maingoka dans le parc national de Tsimanampetsotsa, Madagascar.jpg: Anai171 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Paroedura maingoka, the scorpion leaf-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It is endemic to southwest Madagascar, where it occurs on rock outcrops in dry forests and scrubland. It is a nocturnal species, emerging to feed at night.
This lizard is known for its defensive behavior in which it curls its tail over its back. It is named after this posture, which resembles that of a scorpion ('Batesian mimicry'). The specific name maingoka is Malagasy for "scorpion".
Wikipedia contributors, Paroedura maingoka; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T14:41:59.923755+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Paroedura maingoka Nussbaum & Raxworthy, 2000
- Name authority
- Nussbaum & Raxworthy, 2000
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Gekkonidae
- Genus
- Paroedura
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderGekkota
- familyGekkonidae
- genusParoedura
- speciesParoedura maingoka Nussbaum & Raxworthy, 2000
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Paroedura. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Grandidier's Madagascar Ground GeckoParoedura androyensis (Grandidier, 1867) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mocquard's Madagascar Ground GeckoParoedura bastardi (Mocquard, 1900) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Graceful Madagascar Ground GeckoParoedura gracilis (Boulenger, 1896) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hordies’ Ground GeckoParoedura hordiesi Glaw, Rösler, Ineich, Gehring, Köhler & Vences, 2014 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Ibity Ground GeckoParoedura ibityensis Rösler & Krüger, 1998 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paroedura masobe Nussbaum & Raxworthy, 1994 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| NosyBe Ground GeckoParoedura oviceps (Boettger, 1881) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paroedura picta (Peters, 1854) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Comoro Ground GeckoParoedura sanctijohannis Günther, 1879 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paroedura stellata Hawlitschek & Glaw, 2012 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paroedura stumpffi (Boettger, 1879) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Paroedura tanjaka Nussbaum & Raxworthy, 2000 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Paroedura&species=maingoka Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4DR4W. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.