• Home
• Pachydactylus
• other African geckos
• Literature
• Available
• Contact
• Links

Pachydactylus rangei (ANDERSSON 1908)

Gravid female of Pachydactylus rangei. © M. Barts.

Female of Pachydactylus rangei. © M. Barts.

Male of Pachydactylus rangei. © M. Barts.

Gravid female of Pachydactylus rangei. © M. Barts.

Male of Pachydactylus rangei. © M. Barts.

Young female of Pachydactylus rangei. © M. Barts.

Habitat of Pachydactylus rangei. © M. Barts.

Originalbeschreibung / Original description 

ANDERSON, L.G. (1908): A remarkable new Gecko from South Africa and a new Stenocercus - species from South-America in the Natural History Museum Wiesbaden. — Jahrb. Ver. Nat. Wiesbaden, 61: 299, Plate III, Fig. 1 a—c. – Terra typica: Lüderitzbucht in the German South-West Africa and collected by Dr. P. Range.

Head large, oviform; nose broad, triangular, a little longer than the diameter of the orbit, which is as long as the distance between eye and ear; ear-opening small, oval, only one-third of the eyeball. Nostrils on the upper part of the nose, one-third nearer the tip of the snout than the orbit, swollen, and pierced between two larger raised posterior and two smaller anterior nasals. Forehead and the interorbital space with a longitudinal groove. Temporal region thick and swollen; the greatest breadth of the animal is at the temples. Body and limbs slender. On the hand the free distal joints are comparatively long, on the 3th finger as long as the diameter of the ear-op ling: a low ridge limits the palmar surface behind, giving it a scooplike appearance. On the foot the free distal joints are considerably shorter; the outer toe, to some extent separated from the broad disc formed by the four other toes, makes the hind rim of the deeply concave palmar surface. A broad but low rostral in contact with a regular six-sided internasal; 14—16 upper labials, 12 lower labials; a large oval mental, no chin-childs; all other scales small and granulated, except a row of ten pointed conical tubercles on each side the thick base of the tail, probably a male-character. Greyish white above, head and tail lighter than body: two faint dark stripes on the sides of the back, vanishing on the base of the tail; several faint cross bands unite the longitudinal stripes: above the ear a dark transversal spot, and on the nose a semicircular streak running behind the nostrils to below the eyes; the lower parts of the sides between the limbs, a triangular patch in front of the shoulder, the angle between thighs and tail, and the eyelid citrine; lower, parts white, greyish white on the head.

Measurements: Total length 110 mm: from nose to ear 17,5 mm; diameter of the orbit 6 mm, greatest breadth of head 14 mm. length of humurus 9 mm, from elbow to the tips of toes 17 mm, length of femur 12 mm, from knee to tips of toes 20 mm.

This singular gecko is from Lüderitzbucht in the German South-West Africa and collected by Dr. P. Range: the colour, the large palmar surfaces and the general appearance indicate its occurrence in arid regions; in habit it rather much resembles another sand-gecko from South-Africa. Ptenopus garrulus. also collected at the same place, to which it probably is related, but the large palmar surfaces, formed as broad adhesive organs, seem to indicate that its habits at least to some extent are different: perhaps it may be living on rocks, but without knowing the nature of the place where it is collected, I do not find it proper to go further into the matter.

Synonym

Syndactylosaura schultzei Werner, 1910

Zoologische und Anthropolische Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise im westlichen und zentralen Südafrika, 4. — In: Schultze - Denkschr. Med. Natl. Ges., Jena, 1910: 316, Taf. VI, Fig. 3, 3a-c.  – Species typica: Prince of Wales Bay, Namibia

Kopf eiförmig, vorn stark zugespitzt. Nasenlöcher zwischen 2 Nasalen, von denen das vordere halbmondförmig, das hintere stark aufgetrieben ist; Rostrale sechseckig, sein Hinterrand breit, eine breite Sutur mit einem darauffolgenden, ein wenig schmäleren und kürzeren unpaaren Schildchen bildend, welches die beiden vorderen Nasalia voneinander trennt; zwei Reihen von Schuppen zwischen Nasalen und Oberlippenschildern. Supralabalia 12-15 (Männchen), 14-16 (Weibchen); Sublabialia 11-9 (Männchen), 12-13 (Weibchen). Symphysiale doppelt so lang wie die angrenzenden Sublabialia; nach hinten etwas verbreitert und abgerundet.

Krallen gekrümmt, stumpf. Schwanz drehrund, allmählich sich zuspitzend. Oberseite gelblichweiß mit weitmaschigem braunen Netzwerk. Schwanz und Füße einfarbig.

Dieser merkwürdige Gecko ist wohl die interessanteste herpetologische Entdeckung der Schultzeschen Reise. Seine mächtigen „Sandschwimmhäute" dürften unter Reptilien von seiner Lebensweise wohl einzig dastehen. Das Hamburger Museum besitzt auch ein Exemplar. Außer den beiden obenerwähnten Originalexemplaren sammelte Prof. L. Schultze auch noch ein junges Exemplar an der Prince of Wales Bay, Mai 1903 (No. 122); es ist 52 mm lang. Augenschuppenring hell schwefelgelb.