Teratoscincus roborowskii
Teratoscincus roborowskii, commonly known as the Tibetan wonder gecko or Turpan wonder gecko, is a species of gecko in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Turpan Depression in Xinjiang, northwestern China, where it occurs in arid shrubland and desert habitats. It reaches a snout-vent length of , and adult males tend to have wider heads than adult females. This lizard is a nocturnal and ground-dwelling species, emerging from its burrow to forage at night. Its diet shifts seasonally, feeding mainly on insects in spring and fruit in summer and autumn. The fruit of the caper bush is a particularly notable food item, and the gecko is also a seed disperser for this plant. During the winter, this reptile hibernates in its burrow. Juveniles of this species are known to curl their tails forwards when threatened, most likely to mimic venomous scorpions and avoid predation. They are also similar in size, color and running patterns to Mesobuthus scorpions, strengthening the idea that they exhibit Batesian mimicry. Taxonomy This species was first described in 1906 by Jacques von Bedriaga, and the specific name, roborowskii, honors Russian explorer Vladimir Ivanovich Roborovski. It was formerly synonymized with Teratoscincus scincus and Teratoscincus przewalskii, but molecular and morphological analyses have supported its status as a distinct and valid species. Although the holotype (ZISP 9155) was originally reported to be collected from the Oasis of Ssatschsheu (Dunhuang) in Gansu, China, this is believed to be an error as newer studies find that the species is absent there. This is likely due to mixing of museum labels while examining the specimen, and the holotype is probably from the Turpan Depression of Xinjiang, China. Distribution and habitat T. roborowskii is endemic to the Turpan Depression in Xinjiang, China, where it occurs in sandy areas such as shrubland and deserts. Older records of it being found in Gansu are now believed to be erroneous. Its habitat is arid, with an average annual precipitation of , and an annual evaporation of . It occurs at a wide range of elevations, being recorded from below to above sea level, and has an estimated extent of occurrence of 6811 km². Dead wood has been noted as an important microhabitat for the species, providing shelter, foraging and thermoregulation. Description A moderately sized lizard, the adults of this species reach a snout-vent length of and exhibit sexual dimorphism, with males having wider heads than females. On average, adult head width is in males and in females, though juveniles show no significant differences between sexes. This species has large eyes, while the snout and tail are short. The scales on the head are small, while those on the torso and tail are large and overlapping. The large cycloid scales on the back of the neck are arranged tapering from the forelimb level to the ear level, a feature distinguishing this species from the related common wonder gecko and Przewalski's wonder gecko. Adults have a largely orange background color with irregular dark spots on