| Namib day gecko | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Genus: | Rhoptropus |
| Species: | R. afer |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhoptropus afer W. Peters, 1869 | |
| Synonyms | |
Dactychylikion braconnieri Thominot, 1878 Contents | |
The Namib day gecko (Rhoptropus afer) is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found in the deserts of Namibia and southern Angola. [1] [2] It is the type species of the genus Rhoptropus . [2]
The Namib day gecko has a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 50 mm (2.0 in). [2] The dorsal surface is a well-camouflaged, dappled greyish-brown with small, rounded scales. The throat and the undersides of the tail and the limbs are bright yellow, the tail being "flashed" at other geckos as a signal. This gecko has long legs and long digits, apart from the abbreviated inner toe. The tips of the digits are flared, and the underside of the central digit has five or six scansors (specialist structures that help a gecko's feet to adhere to almost any surface). [3]
R. afer is native to southwestern Africa, where its range includes southern Angola and northern Namibia. It is adapted to desert life and is found in a range of habitats both on the Atlantic coast and many kilometres inland. [4]
The Namib day gecko is a diurnal species and feeds mostly on ants and beetles. [3] On hot but breezy days, it may cool itself by climbing onto an elevated perch and raising itself high off the hot rock surface, orientating itself in such a way as to minimize its exposure to the sun. [5] Geckos have highly sensitive colour night-vision capabilities. Geckos in the genus Rhoptropus are diurnal; their ancestors were nocturnal, but they have secondarily returned to daytime activity. Compared to the other members of its genus, the Namib day gecko is a runner rather than a climber. It uses its speed to escape from potential predators, being able to sprint at up to 2.5 m (8 ft) per second in bright light. However, in dim light, such as experienced on foggy days on this coast, its maximum speed is significantly lower. [4]
Pachydactylus is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 57 distinct species identified when compared to other closely related gecko genera like Rhoptropus, most of which have emerged since 35Ma. It has been suggested that the reason for this rich speciation not from adaptive radiation nor nonadaptive radiation, but that the genus represents a clade somewhere between the two drivers of speciation. P. bibronii geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation.
Ptenopus is a small genus of lizards, known commonly as barking geckos, in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to southern Africa. There are only three described species in this genus.
Rhoptropus is a genus of geckos endemic to Southern Africa, better known as Namib day geckos.
The desert plated lizard is a reptile species endemic to the northern Namib Desert in Namibia and Angola. Also known as the sand plated lizard, it is diurnal.
Bitis peringueyi, also known as the Peringuey's adder, Peringuey's desert adder or desert sidewinding adder, is a venomous viper species found in Namibia and southern Angola. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Rhoptropella is a monotypic genus of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is indigenous to southern Africa.
Pachydactylus rangei, the Namib sand gecko or Namib web-footed gecko, is a species of small lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It inhabits the arid areas of Angola, Namibia, and South Africa, and was first described in 1908 by Swedish zoologist Lars Gabriel Andersson, who named it after its finder, German geologist Dr. Paul Range.
Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons, born in Pietermaritzburg, was a notable herpetologist in South Africa. Also, he contributed to the collection of spermatophyte samples for the National Herbarium which has become part of the South African National Biodiversity Institute at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. In 1937, together with Anna Amelia Obermeyer, he collected some of the earliest plant specimens from the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia.
Turner's thick-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.
Chondrodactylus angulifer, also known as the common giant ground gecko, the South African ground gecko, or the Namib sand gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.
Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi, also known as Fitzsimons's thick-toed gecko or the button-scaled gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southwestern Africa.
The Cape Cross thick-toed gecko, also known commonly as Koch's gecko and Koch's thick-toed gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.
Wahlberg's Kalahari gecko, also known commonly as the Kalahari ground gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
The western keeled snake is a species of snake in the family Pseudaspididae. It is native to western Namibia, southwestern Angola, and southwestern Zambia, and is the only member of the genus Pythonodipsas.
Pachydactylus scherzi is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.
The Namib desert gecko, also known commonly as the Kaoko web-footed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
Barnard's Namib day gecko, also known commonly as Barnard's slender gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
Boulton's Namib day gecko, also known commonly as Boulton's slender gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
Bradfield's Namib day gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Namibia. This species was first described in 1935 by the British-born, South African zoologist John Hewitt, who gave it the name Rhoptropus bradfieldi in honour of the South African naturalist and collector R.D. Bradfield (1882–1949).
