Pachydactylus kobosensis FITZSIMONS 1938
Männchen von Pachydactylus kobosensis. Namibia.
© R. Sadlier.
Männchen von Pachydactylus kobosensis. Nahe Kobos, Namibia.
© W.D. Haacke.
Männchen von Pachydactylus kobosensis. Nahe Kobos, Namibia.
© W.D. Haacke.
Originalbeschreibung / Original description
Nine specimens were collected: T.M. 17517-17519, 17539, 17540, 17553, 17557, 1755, and 17574 at "Kobos", 40 miles south of Rehoboth, Great Namaqualand, 21 July 1937. The series comprises five adults, two half-grown and two juvenile specimens type. An adult male, T.M. 17574.
DESCRIPTION. Head large, subtriangular, strongly depressed, slightly longer than broad, much broader than neck. Snout pointed, about 1 3/4 times diameter of eye and ii times distance from eye to ear-opening. Nostril pierced between three nasal scales, widely separated from rostral and more narrowly from first upper labial. Nasorostrals in contact. Rostral quad rangular, narrower below than above, about 1 4/5 times as broad as deep. Upper labials 9-10, lower 10. Mental narrower at base than adjoining labials, narrowing behind to about one-third anterior breadth. Scales on snout large, at least three to four times the size of the uniform small granules on occiput. Scales over back granular, flattened, a little irregular in size and for the most part smaller than scales on snout, although isolated scales posteriorly may be equal to or a little larger. Scales on chin and throat minute, granular and flattened, smaller than on occiput; no chin shields. On chest and belly scales are flat, smooth, subhexagonal, imbricate, as large as or larger than on snout, slightly larger posteriorly; the last two rows of scales on underside of thighs much enlarged and over twice as large as scales over middle of belly. Limbs and digits moderately stout; median row of subdigital scales distinctly enlarged, fingers with 5 scales on digits I and II, 7 on III and IV and 6 on V; toes with 5-6 scales on digit I, 6 on II and V, 8 on III and 9 on IV. Digits distinctly dilated distally, fingers each with 6 adhesive lamellae, and toes with 6 to digit I and 7 to digits II-V. Body and tail depressed. Tail longer than head and body, tapering, distinctly segmented, covered above with smooth imbricate scales larger than over back, 6-7 rows of scales to each segment; a transverse row of six enlarged tubercular scales about middle of each segment, the outermost being the largest; below, scales much larger than above, imbri cate, with three rows to each segment, no median row of enlarged scales. Two to three enlarged flattened scales in an oblique row at base of tail near vent.
Colour. Above, pale olive with large dark sienna to reddish brown blotches which form irregular broken up crossbands over back; tail banded more or less distinctly with the same colour; eyelid (above and behind) and enlarged scales on tail, yellow; snout uniform reddish brown with a pale streak from nostril to eye; labials stippled with reddish brown, which extends below on to chin and along inner labial margin. Lower surfaces creamy yellow. Eye brown, flecked with gold, pupil-slit edged with yellow.
DIMENSIONS. Type, male (T.M. 17574), H. and B. 50,5, tail 57, length head 12,4, breadth head 10,9, forelimb 14,8, hindlimb 18,3 mm.
Remarks. In some of the paratypes enlarged scales on back are more numerous than in the type, but are aggregated for the most part postero-laterally, they are slightly tubercular and not or but very feebly keeled. The number of adhesive lamellae is constant throughout the series, but a little variation of the number of subdigital scales was noticed, namely as follows: fingers, 5-6 scales on digits I and II, 7-8 on III and IV and 6-7 on V; toes, 5-6 scales on digit I, 6 on II, 8-9 on III, 9 on IV and 6-8 on V. Colour above is olive brown in one specimen; lower surfaces may be lightly stippled all over with brown, with the exception of the middle of the throat; regene rated tails are irregularly blotched with reddish brown. Young (T.M. 17519) greyish olive above, with three pairs of reddish brown transverse bars (the first round back of head and across nape, second across middle of back and third across rump), the area enclosed between each pair of bars is a very pale pinkish brown; tail olive yellow above, barred with brown. Below white. The dorsal markings of the young persist to a less definite degree in one of the half-grown specimens. This new species apparently comes nearest to Pachydactylus capensis and related forms.
FIELD NOTES. These geckos were found on rocky, boulder-strewn koppies, and were exposed under loose rock flakes and in cracks.