Pachydactylus maculatus GRAY 1845
Female of Pachydactylus maculatus. East South Africa.
© M. Barts.
Male of Pachydactylus maculatus. East South Africa.
© M. Barts.
Pachydactylus maculatus from Lebombo Mountains near Josini, KwaZulu-Natal. © J. Marais.
Female of Pachydactylus maculatus.
© F. Girard.
Subadult animal of Pachydactylus maculatus. East South Africa.
© M. Barts.
Habitat of Pachydactylus maculatus. East South Africa.
© M. Barts.
Originalbeschreibung/Original description
Olive, with a series of oblong white-edged green spots on each side of the back, and with an irregular broad converging white-edged green streak on each side of the crown and nape; the sides green-marbled; back with small scattered subconic tubercles, about twice the size of the scales; toes moderate.
a. In spirits. S. Africa. Presented by the Saffron Walden Nat. Hist. Soc.
Synonyme
Pachydactylus maculatus albomarginatus HEWITT, 1932
This subspecies is founded on three specimens from Norvals Pont collected by Mr. B. Peers, who presented them to the AlbanyMuseum. The distinguishing characters are as follows: Larger nasals only slightly separated, a single granule intervening in two specimens, two granules in the third—in maculatus they are more widely separated, three or more granules intervening as a rule, but sometimes only two and very rarely one; scales over snout all small, but considerably larger dorsolaterally than those over the interocular region—in maculatus they are more equal: in front of the vent a rather large area of enlarged flat scales, this area extending a little in front of the inguinal region—in maculatus the area is smaller, and so are the individual scales; the snout is rather long, flattened, and pointed, with a slight swelling in the loreal region, the symphysial shield narrow and almost parallel-sided; dorsal blotches of body all white-margined.
Measurements: From snout to vent 40 mm.; breadth of head 9 mm.
The typical form of maculatus is represented in our collection by specimens from Grahamstown, FortBrown, CarlisleBridge, Teafontein, Brak Kloof, Alicedale, Dunbrody, Witteklip, Walmer, Redhouse, JeffreysBay, Helpmakaar nr. Ladismith, Beaufort West, Jansenville, Klerksdale nr. Middleberg, Schurfteberg (Somerset East district), Graaff Reinet, Peddie, Line Drift (Peddie district), Pt. Alfred, East London, Port St. John's, Middledrift, Healdtown, Alice, Debe Nek, Gleniffer nr. Kei Road, Cofimvaba, Tarkastad, Queenstown, Indwe, Braam Nek, St. Mathew's, Somerville nr. Tsolo, Mqanduli and Weenen, Natal; all except the last mentioned being in coastal or central districts of the Cape Province.
Pachydactylus maculatus microlepis HEWITT, 1935
Type: A single specimen taken on the summit of the Coetzees Berg near Pearston, C.P., by Mr. Ben Marais who presented it to the Albany Museum.
The two most striking features of this form are the almost uniform granular lepidosis of the dorsal surfaces and the immaculate dorsal surface of the body.
Nasorostrals separated in front by one small granule and a second still smaller. The granular scales over the snout, just anterior to the eyes, are a little larger than those between the eyes and over the head immediately posterior thereto: towards the neck, these granular scales increase a little in size and over the neck are somewhat flattened: the scales over the dorsal surface of the body are all small and subgranular with no differentiation into tubercles: nor are there any tubercles on the tibia or any other surfaces of the limbs. Chin and throat scales granular, becoming larger and flattened under the neck, those over the ventral surface of the body being more or less flattened, the largest and most flattened occurring over an area just in front of the vent. At the base of the tail, on each side of the vent, two enlarged scales more or less subconical but flattened, one larger than the other.
Subdigital lamellae 4, or 5 including the small one at the apex: subdigital scales for the most part not enlarged mesially although one or two distally may be. Tail reproduced, covered with rather large flat scales. The head is rather more depressed than in specimens from Grahamstown and Port Alfred. The colour markings are a dark band on each side of the head, commencing behind the nostril and continued behind the eye to a point just above the ear-opening where it fades away: a few dark spots on the snout, and others on the labial scales, more conspicuously so on the lower labials: very faint indications of small spots on the dorsal surface of the body. A ring of white scales around the eye.
Length from snout to vent 33 mm.
The type may be immature, but I think is not very much so. Specimens with nearly obsolete dorsal tubercles are represented in our collection from various localities—Graaff-Reinet, Tarka-stad, Schurfteberg near Somerset East—but these have the usual dorsal markings of maculatus, and even in juvenile specimens much smaller than the type of microlepis, there are well developed tubercles on the tibia.
Apparently, dorsal tubercles are well developed in all specimens from coastal and adjoining districts, more or less ill developed in the drier inland Karroo areas.