Afroedura rondavelica

Blyde River flat gecko
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Gekkota
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Afroedura
Species:	A. rondavelica
Binomial name
Afroedura rondavelica Jacobsen, Kuhn, Jackman & Bauer, 2014

Afroedura rondavelica, also known as the Blyde River flat gecko or the rondavel rock gecko, is a species of African gecko in the family Gekkonidae. The species was first found in the Blyde River Canyon of South Africa. ^[2] Its specific name and one of its common names refer to the rondavel, a southern African hut-type structure.

Description

Medium-sized for its genus, Afroedura rondavelica may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 5.5 cm (2.2 in). Males have 7–9 precloacal pores. ^[3]

Geographic distribution

The Blyde River flat gecko was first found in 1991 at a single site in the vicinity of the Three Rondavels in the Blyde River Canyon. ^{[1] [4]}

In 2025, after 34 years, the Endangered Wildlife Trust said that it found the species again at the same site. ^{[4] [5]}

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of Afroedura rondavelica is rocky areas in savanna, at elevations around 1,300 m (4,300 ft). ^[1]

Reproduction

Afroedura rondavelica is oviparous. ^[3]

References

1. Tolley, K.A.; Bates, M.F. (2022). "Afroedura rondavelica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022 e.T110193608A197426999. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T110193608A197426999.en . Retrieved 18 May 2025.
2. Jacobsen, Niels H.G.; Kuhn, Arianna L.; Jackman, Todd R.; Bauer, Aaron M. (2014). "A phylogenetic analysis of the southern African gecko genus Afroedura Loveridge (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the description of nine new species from Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa". Zootaxa. 3846 (4): 451–501. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3846.4.1. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   25112263. (Afroedura rondavelica, new species, p. 482).
3. Species Afroedura rondavelica at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
4. Imray, Gerald (2025-05-14). "This flat-bodied South African gecko was a 'lost' species. It's been found again after 34 years". AP News. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
5. "'Lost' gecko species rediscovered after more than 33 years". Endangered Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 2025-05-16.

Further reading

• Perera, Sandun J.; Ratnayake-Perera, Dayani; Proches, Serban (2011). "Vertebrate distributions indicate a greater Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany region of endemism". South African Journal of Science. 107 (7–8): 52–66.