Pachydactylus is a
genus of
insectivorousgeckos,
lizards in the
familyGekkonidae. 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.[4] It has been suggested that the reason for this rich speciation not from
adaptive radiation nor
nonadaptive radiation, but that the genus represents a clade somewhere between the two drivers of speciation.[5]P.
bibronii geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation.[6]
Description of the Pachydactylus genus
The genus Pachydactylus is characterized by dilated toe tips, usually with undivided scansors. Body scales are small, granular and non-overlapping, with scattered, large keeled
tubercles.[citation needed]
Coloration of Pachydactylus species varies, but is generally drab in color.[5]
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.[4]
Body size in Pachydactylus varies across the 58 species, ranging from 35 to 115mm
Snout-Vent Length (SVL)[7] with the
ancestral condition of a larger body size with adhesive toe pads to suit a generalist habitat.[5]
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.[5][4] The body size of Pachydactylus geckos has been shown to correlate with their habitat range.[8]
Diet
Lizards of the genus Pachydactylus feed mainly on
arthropods, but have been observed eating small vertebrates.[9]
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.[citation needed] In South Africa's rugged
Richtersveld region, Pachydactylus geckos comprised 13 of 18 all gecko species surveyed.[10]
Species
There are 58
species that are recognized as being valid:[11]
^Gulimova, V. I.; Nikitin, V. B.; Asadchikov, V. E.; Buzmakov, A. V.; Okshtein, I. L.; Almeida, E. a. C.; Ilyin, E. A.; Tairbekov, M. G.; Saveliev, S. V. (July 2006).
"NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)". Journal of Gravitational Physiology. 13 (1). Retrieved 2021-04-16.
^Branch W (1998). Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Sanibel, FL: Ralph Curtis Books.
ISBN0883590425.
^Gaston KJ, Blackburn TM (1996). "Global Scale Macroecology: Interactions between Population Size, Geographic Range Size and Body Size in the Anseriformes". Journal of Animal Ecology. 65 (6): 701–714.
Bibcode:
1996JAnEc..65..701G.
doi:
10.2307/5669.
ISSN0021-8790.
JSTOR5669.
^"Pachydactylus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
^
abBeolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. xiii + 296 pp.
ISBN978-1-4214-0135-5. Pachydactylus barnardi, p. 17; P. weberi, p. 280{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link)
Further reading
Bauer AM[in French], Lamb T,
Branch WR[in French] (2006). "A revision of the Pachydactylus serval and P. weberi groups (Reptilia: Gekkota: Gekkonidae) of Southern Africa, and with the description of eight new species". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. 57 (23): 595–709.
Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History. Vol. I. Geckonidæ ... (Second ed.). London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). pp. xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXi. (Genus Pachydactylus, p. 200)
Branch B[in French] (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa (Third Revised edition, Second impression ed.). Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. p. 399.
ISBN0-88359-042-5. (Genus Pachydactylus, pp. 249–250)
Wiegmann AF (1834). "Herpetologia Mexicana, seu descriptio amphibiorum Novae Hispaniae, quae itineribus comitis Sack, Ferdinandi Deppe et Chr. Guil. Schiede". Museum Zoologicum Berolinense pervenerunt. Pars prima, saurorum species amplectens. Adiecto systematis saurorum prodromo, additisque multis in hunc amphibiorum ordinem observationibus (in Latin). Berlin: C.G. Lüderitz. pp. vi + 54 pp. + Plates I-X. (Pachydactylus, new genus, p. 19)