Pachydactylus atorquatus

Pachydactylus atorquatus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Infraorder:	Gekkota
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Pachydactylus
Species:	P. atorquatus
Binomial name
Pachydactylus atorquatus Bauer, Barts & Hulbert, 2006
Synonyms [2]
Pachydactylus weberi (part) — Bauer & Lamb, 2005 Pachydactylus atorquatus Bauer, Barts & Hulbert, 2006 Pachydactylus goodi Bauer, Lamb & Branch, 2006 Pachydactylus atorquatus — Bates et al., 2014

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. ^{[2] [3]}

Taxonomy

P. atorquatus belongs to the P. weberi species group. ^{[2] [3]}

Geographic range

P. atorquatus is found in Namibia and South Africa. ^[1]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. atorquatus is rocky areas in shrubland, at altitudes of 500–800 m (1,600–2,600 ft). ^[1]

Description

Large for its genus, P. atorquatus may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 5.0 cm (2.0 in). ^[2] It is the only species in the weberi group which does not have a pale collar as a hatchling or juvenile, a key character to which the specific name atorquatus refers. ^[2]

Reproduction

P. atorquatus is oviparous. ^[2]

Etymology

The synonym P. goodi was named in honor of herpetologist David Andrew Good. ^[4]

References

1. Tolley, K.A.; Bauer, A.M. (2022). "Pachydactylus atorquatus ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022: e.T126410503A197429550. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T126410503A197429550.en . Retrieved 21 August 2023.
2. Pachydactylus atorquatus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 30 March 2016.
3. Bauer, Aaron M.; Barts, Mirko; Hulbert, Felix (2006). "A new species of the Pachydactylus weberi group (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Orange River, with remarks on its natural history". Salamandra. 42 (2/3): 83–92. (Pachydactylus atorquatus, new species).
4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Pachydactylus goodi, p. 103).

Further reading

• Bates MF, Branch WR, Bauer AM, Burger M, Marais J, Alexander GJ, de Villiers MS (editors) (2014). Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Suricata 1. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). 485 pp. ISBN   978-1-919976-84-6. (Pachydactylus atorquatus, p. 126; P. goodi, p. 131).
• Bauer AM, Lamb T, Branch WR (2006). "A Revision of the Pachydactylus serval and P. weberi Groups (Reptilia: Gekkota: Gekkonidae) of Southern Africa, with the Description of Eight New Species". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series57 (23): 595–709. (Pachydactylus goodi, new species, pp. 679–681 + Figures 113–116 on p. 643).