''Pachydactylus barnardi'', also known
commonly as Barnard's rough gecko or Barnard's thick-toed gecko, is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Gekkonidae. The species is
indigenous to
Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''barnardi'', is in honor of South African zoologist
Keppel Harcourt Barnard.
Geographic range
''P. barnardi'' is found in
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
(
Cape Province and southern
Little Namaqualand
Namaqualand (khoekhoe: "Nama-kwa" meaning Nama Khoe people's land) is an arid region of Namibia and South Africa, extending along the west coast over and covering a total area of . It is divided by the lower course of the Orange River into ...
).
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''P. barnardi'' is
shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
.
Description
On its back, ''P. barnardi'' has rows of enlarged tubercles, separated by small granular scales. Adults have a snout-to-vent length of .
[ Branch, Bill (2004). ''Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Pachydactylus rugosus barnardi'', pp. 259-260 + Plate 111).]
Reproduction
''P. barnardi'' is
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Lamb T, Bauer AM (2000). "Relationships of the ''Pachydactylus rugosus'' group of geckos (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae)". ''African Zoology'' 35 (1): 55–67. (''Pachydactylus barnardi'', new status).
* FitzSimons VFM (1941). "Descriptions of some new Lizards from South Africa and a Frog from Southern Rhodesia". ''Annals of the Transvaal Museum'' 20 (3): 273–281. (''Pachydactylus capensis barnardi'', new subspecies, p. 273).
* Mashinini PL, Mahlangu LM (2013). "An annotated catalogue of the types of gekkonid lizards (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) in the Herpetology collection of the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History, South Africa". ''Annals of the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History'' 3: 165–181.
Pachydactylus
Reptiles described in 1941
Reptiles of South Africa
Reptiles of Namibia
Taxa named by Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons
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