Pachydactylus

Pachydactylus is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 58 distinct species identified when compared to other closely related gecko genera like Rhoptropus, most of which have emerged since 35 Ma.<ref name="Gamble_2012">Template:Cite journal</ref> It has been suggested that the reason for this rich speciation is not from adaptive radiation nor nonadaptive radiation, but that the genus represents a clade somewhere between the two drivers of speciation.<ref name="Heinicke_2017">Template:Cite journal</ref> P. bibronii geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Description of the Pachydactylus genus

The genus Pachydactylus is characterized by dilated toe tips, usually with adhesive, undivided scansors, as well as hyperphalangy on the first digit of the manus and pes. Body scales are small, granular and non-overlapping, with or without large keeled or unkeeled tubercles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Coloration of Pachydactylus species varies, but is generally drab in color.<ref name="Heinicke_2017" />

Presence of adhesive toe pads varies by species and habitat, with rock dwelling species of Pachydactylus retaining adhesive pads, but unambiguous independent loss of toe pads in sand dwelling and burrowing species like P. rangei.<ref name="Gamble_2012" />

Body size in Pachydactylus varies across the 58 species, ranging in snout-to-vent length (SVL) from Template:Cvt to Template:Cvt,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> with the ancestral condition of a larger body size with adhesive toe pads to suit a generalist habitat.<ref name="Heinicke_2017" />

Behavior

All observed species of Pachydactylus are strictly nocturnal.<ref name="Heinicke_2017" />

Habitat of Pachydactylus geckos

Pachydactylus species live in a diverse range of habitats across Southern Africa. Habitat varies by species, with some species preferring generalist habitats, human dwellings, rock-dwellings, and sand dwellings. Habitat preference typically varies by body size and retention of toe pads, which varies across the genus.<ref name="Heinicke_2017" /><ref name="Gamble_2012" /> The body size of Pachydactylus geckos has been shown to correlate with their habitat range.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Diet

Lizards of the genus Pachydactylus feed mainly on arthropods, but have been observed eating small vertebrates.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Geographic range

The geographic range of the genus Pachydactylus is centered on Southern Africa, with some species reaching East Africa, the northernmost limit of their distribution.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In South Africa's rugged Richtersveld region, Pachydactylus geckos comprised 13 of 18 all gecko species surveyed.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Species

There are 58 species that are recognized as being valid:<ref>Template:EMBL genus www.reptile-database.org.</ref>

• Pachydactylus acuminatus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus affinis Template:Small – Transvaal thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus amoenus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus angolensis Template:Small – Angola large-scaled gecko, Angolan thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus atorquatus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus austeni Template:Small – Austen's thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus barnardi Template:Small – Barnard's thick-toed gecko<ref name="EDR">Template:Cite book xiii + 296 pp. (Pachydactylus barnardi, p. 17; P. weberi, p. 280).</ref>
• Pachydactylus bicolor Template:Small – velvety thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus boehmei Template:Small
• Pachydactylus capensis Template:Small – Cape thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus caraculicus Template:Small – Angola banded thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus carinatus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus etultra Template:Small
• Pachydactylus fasciatus Template:Small – banded thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus formosus Template:Small – Smith's thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus gaiasensis Template:Small – Brandberg thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus geitje Template:Small – ocellated thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus griffini Template:Small
• Pachydactylus haackei Template:Small – Haacke's thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus katanganus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus kladaroderma Template:Small – thin-skinned thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus kobosensis Template:Small
• Pachydactylus kochii Template:Small
• Pachydactylus labialis Template:Small – Calvinia thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus latirostris Template:Small – quartz gecko
• Pachydactylus macrolepis Template:Small – large-scaled banded gecko
• Pachydactylus maculatus Template:Small – spotted thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus maiatoi Template:Small – Maiato's thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus maraisi Template:Small
• Pachydactylus mariquensis Template:Small – Marico thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus mclachlani Template:Small
• Pachydactylus monicae Template:Small
• Pachydactylus montanus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus namaquensis Template:Small – Namaqua thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus oculatus Template:Small – golden spotted thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus oreophilus Template:Small – Kaokoveld thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus oshaughnessyi Template:Small
• Pachydactylus otaviensis Template:Small
• Pachydactylus parascutatus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus punctatus Template:Small – speckled thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus purcelli Template:Small
• Pachydactylus rangei Template:Small – Namib sand gecko
• Pachydactylus reconditus Template:Small
• Pachydactylus robertsi Template:Small
• Pachydactylus rugosus Template:Small – rough thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus sansteynae Template:Small – San Steyn's thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus scherzi Template:Small – Sherz's thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus scutatus Template:Small – large-scaled thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus serval Template:Small – western spotted thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus tigrinus Template:Small – tiger thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus tsodiloensis Template:Small – Tsodilo thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus vansoni Template:Small – Van Son's thick-toed gecko
• Pachydactylus vanzyli Template:Small
• Pachydactylus visseri Template:Small
• Pachydactylus wahlbergii Template:Small
• Pachydactylus waterbergensis Template:Small
• Pachydactylus weberi Template:Small – Weber's thick-toed gecko<ref name="EDR"/>
• Pachydactylus werneri Template:Small

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Pachydactylus.

Further reading

• Template:Cite journal
• Template:Cite book xii + 436 pp. + Plates I–XXXII. (Genus Pachydactylus, p. 200).
• Template:Cite book (Third Revised edition, Second impression). 399 pp. (Genus Pachydactylus, pp. 249–250).
• Template:Cite book (Pachydactylus, new genus, p. 19). (in Latin).

External links

• Template:NRDB genus