Origin
This species of gecko (Nephrurus levis), named by me Levis because I have not yet found the name in Romanian, belongs to the class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Gekkonidae, subfamily Diplodactylinae, genus Nephrurus.
They are found in desert and semi-desert areas with arid or semi-arid climates.
The distribution area differs according to each subspecies, so Nephrurus levis levis is widespread in eastern, western and Central Australia and the other two subspecies are widespread in Western Australia. Nephrurus levis pilbarensis is found only in the Pilbara region.
Centralian Rough Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus amyae
Rough Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus asper
Pernatty Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus deleani
Smooth Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus laevissimus
Smooth Knob-tailed Geckos, Nephrurus levis
Common smooth Knob-tailed Geckos, Nephrurus levis levis
Western smooth Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus levis occidentalis
Nephrurus levis pilbarensis
Barking gecko, Nephrurus milii
Kimberley Rough Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus sheai
Stellate Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus stellatus
Midline Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus vertebralis
Banded Knob-tailed Gecko, Nephrurus wheeleri
Levis Gecko Feed
In the wild they eat ants, spiders, cockroaches, crickets, scorpions, caterpillars and sometimes even the offspring of other lizards (including geckos).
In captivity they can feed on crickets, cockroaches, mealworms, superworms. Until the age of 1 year (when they become adults) should be fed every day and then 3-4 times a week.
It is recommended to supplement the food with calcium and vitamins.
Features Gecko Levis
Nephrurus levis was described by De VIS in 1886. It is a nocturnal, terrestrial species, adult specimens reach 8-12 cm in length. The most widespread subspecies both in nature and in captivity is Nephrurus levis levis. They have shy behavior and a life expectancy between 12-15 years.
The head is large compared to the rest of the body, the eyes are very large giving the animal a fairly wide visual spectrum. The tail is short and wide, narrowing sharply towards the tip. in the tail they store reserves, fat that helps them survive during wintering.
Unlike other species Nephrurus levis has no adhesive fingers (so it cannot climb on vertical surfaces) but has claws adapted to dig. The ventral part of the body is white or pink and the dorsal part is dotted with white.
The body color includes brown, brick, red and orange. N. levis pilbarensis often differs in body color from that of the tail, N. levis occidentalis are often yellowish and white dots are rarer.
A terrarium of L 40 cm x l 20 cm x h 20 cm is enough to accommodate 2 adult specimens. Being a nocturnal species it is not necessary to simulate the day-night cycle and if you want to equip the terrarium with UVB lighting you will need to have at least a landscaped space to hide and protect from daylight.
The optimum temperature during the day should vary between 26-28 grC, at night it can drop to 23 grC. Nephrurus levis is found in desert and semi-desert areas so the relative humidity level is quite low, about 30-40%.
Generally you can use any type of substrate that is not harmful to the animal (newspapers, table towels without flavors) but it is recommended simple sand or mixed with Earth because this species in nature digs quite a lot.
You can spray the walls of the terrarium with water 2 times a week, because they often drink water splashes. The terrarium must also have a small bowl of water, changed daily.
Breeding Gecko Levis
It is recommended that reproduction take place after reaching the age of 1 year to allow the female to develop completely, otherwise it may slow or stop its growth. The species shows sexual dimorphism, starting from the age of 6 months in males can be seen bumps in the cloacal area, these being even more prominent in the breeding season.
Females are considerably larger than males. To stimulate reproduction in captivity, wintering can be simulated by gradually lowering the temperature up to 15 grC, over a period of about 3 months.
Before going into wintering about 2 weeks you need to stop feeding the lizard to give it enough time to digest everything from the stomach, otherwise it can get sick and even die. Wintering begins in late autumn and all this time the female must be separated from the male. After wintering temperatures should increase gradually and feeding should be done as often as possible.
When placing the male with the female for breeding it is recommended that the female has at least 20 grams and the male 14 grams. A female lays on average 6 times a year, 2 eggs (1 less often), which in nature buries in the sand, in areas with suitable humidity.
The period between the deposits varies between 17-21 days and the eggs are incubated in about 60 days, at a temperature of 28 grC.
