Pachydactylus robertsi FITZSIMONS 1938
Pachydactylus robertsi. Namibia.
© P. Freed.
Originalbeschreibung / Original description
A single specimen, T.M. 17854, was collected on the Farm "Kraikluft", GreatKaras Mountains, Great Namaqualand, 12 August 1937.
DESCRIPTION. Head elongate, depressed, a little over 1 1/3 times as long as broad, not much broader than neck. Snout pointed, 1 1/3 times diameter of the somewhat large eye, which about equals its distance from ear-opening; latter an elongate oval and almost horizontal. Nostril pierced between first upper labial and three nasal scales, of which the uppermost or nasorostral is largest and in long contact with its fellow. Rostral rectangular, twice as broad as deep, distinctly lower than adjacent upper labials. Upper labials 12 (8—9 to below middle of eye), lower 6-7. Mental elongate, narrowing behind to about half anterior breadth, much narrower than adjoining labials both in front and behind. Scales on snout convex, largest on canthal region just in front of eye, where they are subhexagonal and at least twice as large as any on middle of snout. Occiput minutely granular with scattered larger rounded smooth subconical tubercles which are smaller than scales on middle of snout.
Back covered with large flattened keeled tubercles, intermixed sparsely with small granules, which form a narrow median strip down middle of back; enlarged tubercles contiguous or at most separated by a single granule; on sides tubercles smaller and more conical; tubercles on hindlimbs large, conical, keeled but not contiguous. On chin and throat, scales very small, enlarging over chest; scales on belly flat and imbricate, largest posteriorly, where they are still smaller than the much enlarged scales over antero-inferior surface of thigh. Body slender, moderately depressed; limbs and digits moderately long. Median row of subdigital scales enlarged, fingers with 4 scales on digits: V, 5 on II to IV; toes with 5 scales on digit 1, 6 on digits II, III and V, 7 on IV. Distal dilatations only slightly broader than proximal portion of digits, with 5 lamellae under fingers, 4 under first toe, 5 under second toe and 6 under third, fourth and fifth. Tail only slightly depressed, more or less cylindrical, segmented, covered above with small flat subimbricate smooth scales; a transverse row of 8-2 (8 basally reducing to 2 near tip) enlarged keeled scales to each segment, three scale rows apart; below scales much larger and imbricate, median row enlarged with two scales to each segment; 26 segments to tail, including basal one.
COLOUR. Above, light olive brown, with a line of eight small dark spots down vertebral line from nape to lumbar region and a few smaller irregular specks scattered over back; a dark streak from nostril through eye passing above ear-opening and encircling back of head, bordered below and behind, from angle of jaw, by a pale olive yellow band which in turn is edged behind by a broken up dark streak arising on last lower labial and passing through ear; a pale streak along canthal region bordering dark side streak above; labials wholly or partly suffused with dark brown. Chin, throat and sides belly greyish white, middle of belly and underside limbs white. Tail uniform olive brown, enlarged scales yellow; below light greyish brown.
DIMENSIONS. Type, T.M. 17854, H. and B. 42, tail 48, length head 11,2, breadth head 8,2, forelimb 11,7, hindlimb 16,5 mm.