The following is a brief glossary of some of the phrases encountered by herpetoculturalists.
Aberrant Deviating from the usual, e.g an animal displaying non-standard markings
Allele The different forms of genes occurring at a specific genetic locus
Arboreal Tree dwelling
Autotomy The ability to sever a body part; frequently caudal autotomy, the ability of geckos to drop their tail of threatened / startled
Biotope Specific environmental conditions, including animal and plant assemblages, for a given area
Brille The rigid, transparent disc covering the eyes of all geckos except for those in the subfamily Eublepharinae
Captive Bred (CB) Animal born in captivity and bred from parents also housed in captivity
Captive Farmed (CF) Animal born in captivity from wild caught parents; generally wild caught females are held until eggs are laid, which are then incubated to produce CF young
Chromosome DNA molecule comprising many different genes
Cloaca The opening to the intestinal, urinary and reproductive tracts of reptiles (also known as vent)
Cloacal spurs Cluster of enlarged scales found close to the cloaca on either side of the tail; frequently, they are more pronounced in males
Coccidia Unicellular, spore-forming parasitic organisms infecting the intestinal tract
Crepuscular Animals that are predominantly active at dawn and dusk
Cryptosporidium Protozoan parasite that infects the intestinal tract, causing cryptosporidiosis
Dermatophagia Behavioural exhibited by many gecko species in which the shed skin is eaten
Diel A 24 hour period covering both day and night
Dominant gene The visually expressed trait in a heterozygous individual
Dorsal Relating to the back
Diurnal Animals that are predominantly active during daylight hours
Dystocia Difficulty or inability to lay eggs; females suffering from dystocia are frequently referred to as being 'egg bound'
Ecdysis Technical term for shedding or sloughing of the skin
Entamoeba invadens Species of parasitic protozoan having a particularly severe impact of the health of crested geckos and other Rhacs
Fecundity The ability to reproduce
Gene Sequence of DNA that is inherited by offspring from their parents
Genotype The sum of an organisms inheritable genetic traits; includes recessive traits that may not be visually apparent
Genus (pl genera) Taxonomic unit of classification; a genus can include several or many species
Gravid Pregnant; female carrying eggs
Gut loading The process of offering feeder insects a diet designed to enhance the nutritional value derived by insectivorous geckos
Habitat The natural environment inhabited by a species
Hemi-penile bulge Bulbous protuberance at the base of the tail housing the hemipenes of male geckos
Hemipenis One of the pair of reproductive organs of male geckos (pl hemipenes)
Heterozygous (abbr het) Having two different alleles on a gene's locus. A heterozygous individual can carry a recessive trait that is not visually apparent
Homozygous Having two identical alleles on a gene's locus
Humidity The amount of water vapour in the air
Impaction Indigestible material causing a blockage in the intestinal tract
Incubation Provision of correct conditions of temperature and humidity to enable an embryo to develop within the egg
Insectivore An animal whose diet consist predominantly of insects
Juvenile An animal that has not yet attained adult size or sexual maturity
Keratophagia Consumption of the skin following shedding
Lamellae Plate-like structures on the toes of arboreal geckos that enable animals to climb smooth surfaces
Lateral Relating to the sides
Locus (pl loci) Specific location of a gene on a chromosome
Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) Umbrella term used to describe a variety of illnesses relating to the metabolism of calcium in reptiles
Morph A particular phenotype of a species; an individual expressing a given colouring
Necrosis Death of tissue caused by infection or injury
Necropsy Post mortem examination of an animal
Neonate Recently hatched reptile
Nocturnal Animal that is predominantly active at night
Omnivore An animal whose diet consists of both plant and animal-derived components
Oocyst Structure in which the zygotes of a coccidial parasite are transferred to a new host
Phenotype The observed physical characteristics of an animal
Photophase The hours of daylight in a day-night cycle
Poikilothermic An animal whose body temperature varies with the ambient temperature of its environment
Polytypic A taxonomic group that can be divided into two or more subgroups, e.g. a species that consists of two or more subspecies
Pre-anal pores Row(s) of pores situated in front of the vent of male geckos that secrete a wax-like substance used for scent marking
Prolapse Displacement of internal tissue outside the body
Protozoan Unicellular, eukaryotic organism
Quarantine Period of isolation allowing assessments to be made regarding the health of an individual animal
Recessive A gene occurring at a specific genetic locus that is not visually apparent
Regurgitation Expulsion of undigested or partly digested food from the mouth
Scotophase The hours of darkness in a day-night cycle
Setae Hair-like structures that form the lamellae on a gecko's foot; they are, in turn, tipped by spatulae
Semi-arboreal Animals that spends some, but not all, of its time in trees
Spatulae Micro-structures approximately 0.2 microns in length that are located at the end of setae and enable geckos to adher to smooth surfaces by exploiting van der Waals force
Snout-vent length (SVL) Distance between the tip of an animal's snout and its vent
Tail length (TL) Distance measured from an animal's vent to the tip of its tail
Taxonomy The science of classification; a specific classification
Temperature-dependent Sex Determination (TSD) A characteristic whereby the sex of a hatchling is determined by its incubation temperature (occurs in leopard geckos and African fat-tailed geckos etc)
Terrestrial Ground dwelling; adapted to life on the ground
Thermoregulation The ability to maintain a constant body temperature that is independent of environmental conditions
Tubercles Prominent scales found on certain species, giving their skin a warty appearance
Under tank heater(UTH) Heat mat
Vent Cloaca
Ventral Relating to the belly or underside of an animal
Wild caught (WC) Caught from the wild to be held in captivity
Zygote Initial cell from which a new organism develops
