Northern Turnip-tailed Gecko

Open encyclopedia reference

The turnip-tailed gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda) is a species of gecko widely distributed from Mexico southward through Central America and into South America as far south as Brazil, and on many islands in the Lesser Antilles. It was long thought to be the only member of its genus, until T. solimoensis was described in 2007.

It is a large gecko, reaching a length of 120 mm snout-to-vent. Its color varies from pale to dark gray to deep orange. Individuals can also change color. It can vocalize a series of chirps, which it mainly does while active at night. Its name comes from its swollen tail, which is used to store fat. It also waves its tail as a sign of aggression, and can shed its tail to distract predators. They are nocturnal in nature and are frequently found 5–30 feet up the trunks of palm trees.

Wikipedia contributors, Turnip-tailed gecko; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:05:09.660031+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Thecadactylus rapicauda (Houttuyn, 1782)

Name authority

(Houttuyn, 1782)

Common name

Northern Turnip-tailed Gecko

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Phyllodactylidae

Genus

Thecadactylus

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
10. suborderGekkota
11. familyPhyllodactylidae
12. genusThecadactylus
13. speciesThecadactylus rapicauda (Houttuyn, 1782)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Thecadactylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 126 records assigned to Phyllodactylidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Thecadactylus&species=rapicauda 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

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:565VN. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.