Pachydactylus

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Thick-toed geckos
Pachydactylus oshaughnessyi.jpg
P. oshaughnessyi at Lusaka, Zambia
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Subfamily: Uroplatinae
Genus: Pachydactylus
Wiegmann, 1834 [1]
Synonyms

Colopus W. Peters, 1869 [2]
Palmatogecko Andersson, 1908 [3]

Contents

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 58 distinct species identified when compared to other closely related gecko genera like Rhoptropus, most of which have emerged since 35Ma. [4] 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. [5] P. bibronii geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation. [6]

Description of the Pachydactylus genus

The genus Pachydactylus is characterized by dilated toe tips, usually with undivided scansors. Body scales are small, granular and non-overlapping, with scattered, large keeled tubercles.[ citation needed ]

Coloration of Pachydactylus species varies, but is generally drab in color. [5]

Presence of adhesive toe pads varies by species and habitat, with rock dwelling species of Pachydactylus retaining adhesive pads, but unambiguous independent loss of toe pads in sand dwelling and burrowing species like P. rangei. [4]

Body size in Pachydactylus varies across the 58 species, ranging from 35 to 115mm Snout-Vent Length (SVL) [7] with the ancestral condition of a larger body size with adhesive toe pads to suit a generalist habitat. [5]

Behavior

All observed species of Pachydactylus are strictly nocturnal. [5] Wikibooks

Habitat of Pachydactylus geckos

Pachydactylus species live in a diverse range of habitats across Southern Africa. Habitat varies by species, with some species preferring generalist habitats, human dwellings, rock-dwellings, and sand dwellings. Habitat preference typically varies by body size and retention of toe pads, which varies across the genus. [5] [4] The body size of Pachydactylus geckos has been shown to correlate with their habitat range. [8]

Diet

Lizards of the genus Pachydactylus feed mainly on arthropods, but have been observed eating small vertebrates. [9]

Geographic range

The geographic range of the genus Pachydactylus is centered on Southern Africa, with some species reaching East Africa, the northernmost limit of their distribution.[ citation needed ] In South Africa's rugged Richtersveld region, Pachydactylus geckos comprised 13 of 18 all gecko species surveyed. [10]

Species

There are 58 species that are recognized as being valid: [11]

Nota bene : A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Pachydactylus.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gekkonidae</span> Family of lizards

Gekkonidae is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (Hemidactylus), the tokay gecko (Gekko), day geckos (Phelsuma), the mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus), and dtellas (Gehyra). Gekkonid geckos occur globally and are particularly diverse in tropical areas. Many species of these geckos exhibit an adhering ability to surfaces through Van der Waals forces utilizing intermolecular forces between molecules of their setae and molecules of the surface they are on.

<i>Afroedura</i> Genus of lizards

Afroedura is a genus of African geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. Member species are collectively known as rock geckos or flat geckos.

Goggia, also known commonly as dwarf leaf-toed geckos or pygmy geckos, is a genus of African geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae.

Pachydactylus austeni, also known commonly as Austen's thick-toed gecko or Austen's gecko, is a species of small thick-toed gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is indigenous to the western coast of South Africa.

<i>Pachydactylus atorquatus</i> Species of lizard

Pachydactylus atorquatus, also known commonly as the Augrabies gecko and Good's gecko, is a species of thick-toed gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.

<i>Pachydactylus rangei</i> Species of lizard

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.

Pachydactylus robertsi, commonly known as the large-scaled gecko, shielded thick-toed gecko, or Rauhschuppen-Dickfingergecko in German, is an African species of gecko.

<i>Pachydactylus vansoni</i> Species of lizard

Pachydactylus vansoni, commonly known as Van Son's gecko or Van Son's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Southern Africa.

Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi, also known commonly as the button-scaled gecko, FitzSimons' thick-toed gecko, Fitzsimons's thick-toed gecko, and FitzSimons' tubercled gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native 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 lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.

Pachydactylus acuminatus is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae, a family also known as the typical geckos. The species P. acuminatus is endemic to Namibia. It was once believed to be a subspecies of Weber's thick-toed gecko but was lifted to species status in 2006.

Pachydactylus barnardi, also known commonly as Barnard's rough gecko or Barnard's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is indigenous to Southern Africa.

Pachydactylus griffini is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

Pachydactylus mclachlani is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

Monica's gecko, also known commonly as Monica's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic 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.

Weber's thick-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.

Werner's thick-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Namibia.

References

  1. ↑ "Pachydactylus ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  2. ↑ Species Pachydactylus wahlbergii at The Reptile Database . ("Colopus wahlbergii PETERS, 1869 is the type species of the genus Colopus.")
  3. ↑ Species Pachydactylus rangei at The Reptile Database . ("Palmatogecko rangei ANDERSSON, 1908 is the type species of the genus Palmatogecko.")
  4. 1 2 3 Gamble T, Greenbaum E, Jackman TR, Russell AP, Bauer AM (2012-06-27). "Repeated origin and loss of adhesive toepads in geckos". PLoS ONE. 7 (6): e39429. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...739429G. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039429 . PMC   3384654 . PMID   22761794.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Heinicke MP, Jackman TR, Bauer AM (January 2017). "The measure of success: geographic isolation promotes diversification in Pachydactylus geckos". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (1): 9. Bibcode:2017BMCEE..17....9H. doi: 10.1186/s12862-016-0846-2 . PMC   5225572 . PMID   28077086.
  6. ↑ Gulimova, V. I.; Nikitin, V. B.; Asadchikov, V. E.; Buzmakov, A. V.; Okshtein, I. L.; Almeida, E. a. C.; Ilyin, E. A.; Tairbekov, M. G.; Saveliev, S. V. (July 2006). "NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)". Journal of Gravitational Physiology. 13 (1). Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  7. ↑ Branch, Bill (1998). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa (Third ed.). Cape Town, South Africa: Struik. ISBN   1-86872-040-3.
  8. ↑ Gaston, Kevin J.; Blackburn, Tim M. (1996). "Global Scale Macroecology: Interactions between Population Size, Geographic Range Size and Body Size in the Anseriformes". Journal of Animal Ecology. 65 (6): 701–714. Bibcode:1996JAnEc..65..701G. doi:10.2307/5669. ISSN   0021-8790. JSTOR   5669.
  9. ↑ Pianka ER, Huey RB (1978). "Comparative Ecology, Resource Utilization and Niche Segregation among Gekkonid Lizards in the Southern Kalahari". Copeia. 1978 (4): 691–701. doi:10.2307/1443698. ISSN   0045-8511. JSTOR   1443698.
  10. ↑ Bauer AM (2001). "The herpetofauna of the Richtersveld National Park and the adjacent northern Richtersveld, Northern Cape Province, Republic of South Africa". Herpetological Natural History. 8: 111–160 – via Researchgate.
  11. ↑ Genus Pachydactylus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  12. 1 2 Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. xiii + 296 pp. (Pachydactylus barnardi, p. 17; P. weberi, p. 280).

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