Pachydactylus caraculicus FITZSIMONS 1959
Gravid female of Pachydactylus caraculicus.
© W.D. Haacke.
Hatchling of Pachydactylus caraculicus.
© W.D. Haacke.
Newly hatched baby of Pachydactylus caraculicus.
© W.D. Haacke.
Habitat of Pachydactylus caraculicus.
© M. Barts.
Originalbeschreibung / Original description
Types: Holotype male (TM. 22880), allotype female (TM. 22884) and two paratypes, a male (TM. 22885) and a female (TM. 22883), collected just east of Caracul, S. Angola by Dr C. Koch, July 1954. In addition there are 9 topotypes (TM. 24536-44) collected by Dr C. Koch, in August 1956 and other specimens from Cima, Rio Giraul district, and Lungo, Vila Arriaga district, S. Angola.
Diagnosis: Apparently close to Pachydactylus scutatus angolensis Loveridge, but differentiated from the latter as follows: scales on back somewhat feebly keeled and becoming quite smooth towards the sides; a broad band of much smaller, juxtaposed scales down middle of back; no admixture of enlarged tubercles on occiput; fewer scansors and subdigital lamellae rather feebly developed.
Description: Head depressed, about 1 1/3 times as long as broad and broader than the neck; snout acuminate, slightly swollen in canthal region, in length about if times diameter of eye and if times distance of eye from ear-opening; latter small, suboval and slightly oblique; rostral rectangular and from 1 ½ to 1 2/3 times as broad as deep; nostril pierced between three nasals, the anteriormost (or nasorostral) largest and in contact with its fellow behind the rostral, the other two nasals subequal in size or upper slightly larger; upper labials 8/9, lower 9/10; mental rectangular, twice as long as broad, narrowing slightly behind and distinctly narrower than adjoining lower labials; no enlarged chin shields. Scales on snout smooth, slightly convex, subcircular and larger than on occiput, where they are flattened and a little smaller than on back; scales on back, subpentagonal, sub-imbricate and weakly keeled, but becoming smooth on sides, largest dorsolaterally, but much smaller and juxtaposed over a comparatively wide band down middle of back; scales on chin very small, smooth, subgranular and passing behind to larger, flattened, subimbricate scales on throat; over belly scales are flattened, smooth, imbricate and subequal to or a little smaller than largest on back, but enlarging considerably preanally, where they are flattened, juxtaposed and larger than below thighs. Body generally depressed; limbs short and stout, the adpressed hindlimb reaching wrist of adpressed forearm; digits feebly dilated distally, the fingers bearing 3 transverse adhesive lamellae (or scansors) below and the toes 4; infero-median row of scales feebly enlarged transversely, therebeing 4-6 on fingers and 8 on 4th toe. Tail subcylindrical (i.e. slightly depressed) and tapering to afinetip, distinctly segmented, with 4 rows of scales to each segment above and 3 below, scales above much larger than on back, heterogeneous, smooth and imbricate, while below they are also smooth, imbricate and irregular, but a little larger than above; two much enlarged strongly keeled, sub-conical, scallop-like scales or tubercles on either side base of tail in male holotype, smaller, more flattened and scale-like in the female allotype.
Brown to purplish brown above, with four, dark-edged, pale cross-bands, the 1st between shoulders, and and 3rd on mid-back and 4th just anterior to groin; 6-7 pale bands on tail; bands on back about half width of interspaces and on tail as wide as or a little wider than interspaces; a dark streak from nostril, through eye to forearm, distinctly pale-edged below; labials with dark spots. Underparts a uniform white to greyish white.
Size: Holotype male(TM. 22880) total length, 87 (41+46) mm.; length head, 10 mm.; breadth head, 8 mm. Allotype female (TM, 22884) head and body, 40 mm.; tail (partly regenerated), 36,5 mm.; length head, 9,8 mm.; breadth head, 8,2 mm.
Remarks: In the allotype female the regenerated part of tail is covered above with heterogeneous, strongly imbricate scales, on sides scales larger feebly keeled and submucronate, below a little larger than above, smooth and imbricate. In juvenile topotypes the pale cross-bands are pure white, and well marked on back and on tail, where they number up to 12 in all and are narrower than dark interspaces proximally but broader distally; large pale spots on tibia and thigh, the largest being near the groin; eye edged with white anteriorly. These conspicuous white markings, as found in young specimens, become less distinct in older specimens through a gradual invasion of the white areas by the surrounding darker colour, until in fully adult specimens the pale markings practically disappear.