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Colopus kochii FITZSIMONS 1959

Female of Colopus kochii.  © M. Barts.

Sleeping Colopus kochii. © M. Barts.

Male of Colopus kochii.  © M. Barts.

Female of a different population of Colopus kochii. © M. Barts.

Habitat of Colopus kochii. W-Namibia. © M. Barts.

Natural substrate where the animals live. © M. Barts.

Originalbeschreibung / Original description

FITZSIMONS, V.F.M. (1959): Some New Reptiles from Southern Africa and Southern Angola. — Ann. Transvaal Mus., 23(4): 405 — Terra typica: few miles south of CapeCross, Namib, S.W. Africa and collected in August 1954, by Dr C. Koch.

Types: Holotype, an adult male(TM. 23952), allotype an adult female (TM. 23951) and paratype a subadult male(TM. 23953), all from Sextoo (or Sextus), a few miles south of CapeCross, Namib, S.W. Africa and collected in August 1954, by Dr C. Koch.

Diagnosis: Closest to Pachydactylus mariquensis, but readily distinguished therefrom on its more slender build, more pointed snout, longer limbs with digits narrowing to an obtuse point, nasorostrals in contact, nature of body scaling and distinctive colour markings.

Description: Head elongately oval and about 1 ²/₃ times as long as broad; snout slightly convex, obtusely pointed (more pointed than in mariquensis), in length about 1 ¹/₅times distance from eye to ear-opening and 1 ¾ times diameter of eye; orbits somewhat raised, diameter of eye about three times horizontal diameter of ear-opening, which is small, oval anal oblique; nostril pierced between three nasal scales, the anteriormost (or nasorostral) in short contact with its fellow behind the rostral latter about 1 ¹/₅ times as broad as deep; upper labials 8-9, decreasing rapidly in size posteriorly; lower labials 9-10; mental small, much narrower than the adjacent lower labials, slightly narrowed behind and not extending backwards beyond posterior margin of latter; chin shields, adjoining mental and anterior lower labials behind, distinctly larger than the minute, convex, juxtaposed, rounded granules on throat; over chest and belly granules pass to much larger, flattened, subhexagonal scales, which tend to become subimbricate over posterior half of belly, where they are largest preanally. No preanal nor femoral pores present. Scales on head and back subequal in size, small (larger than on throat but smaller than on belly), unkeeled, granular, rounded, convex and juxtaposed. Scales on tail larger than on belly, flattened, squarish in shape, subimbricate and in regular transverse rows above and below. Tail unsegmented, slender and tapering gradually to fine point. Limbs comparatively long, and slender; digits well developed and narrowing to an obtuse point, terminating above in a large nail-like scale and below with three adhesive subdigital lamellae; subdigital scales small, subequal in size, distinctly convex to conical; scales on palms and soles smaller, flattened and imbricate. Two enlarged, white, scallop-like scales on either side of tail near vent in the two malesbut lacking in female.

Greyish white above, with a slight lavender tinge, and with five bright, reddish-brown cross-bands on buck (first acrossnape and fifth just anterior to base of tail) and twelve bars of the same colour on tail, where they are narrower than the paleinterspaces. Limbs also barred with reddish brown, which is slightly less bright than on back and tail. Head uniform pale lavender grey and anterior border of eye pure white; eye silvery yellow, veined with black. Underparts a uniform chalky white.