Pachydactylus atorquatus explained

Pachydactylus atorquatus, also known commonly as the Augrabies gecko and Good's gecko, is a species of thick-toed gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.^[1]

Taxonomy

P. atorquatus belongs to the P. weberi species group.^[1]

Geographic range

P. atorquatus is found in Namibia and South Africa.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of P. atorquatus is rocky areas in shrubland, at altitudes of .

Description

Large for its genus, P. atorquatus may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . It is the only species in the weberi group which does not have a pale collar as a hatchling or juvenile, a key character to which the specific name atorquatus refers.

Reproduction

P. atorquatus is oviparous.

Etymology

The synonym P. goodi was named in honor of herpetologist David Andrew Good.^[2]

Further reading

• Bates MF, Branch WR, Bauer AM, Burger M, Marais J, Alexander GJ, de Villiers MS (editors) (2014). Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. Suricata 1. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). 485 pp. . (Pachydactylus atorquatus, p. 126; P. goodi, p. 131).
• Bauer AM, Lamb T, Branch WR (2006). "A Revision of the Pachydactylus serval and P. weberi Groups (Reptilia: Gekkota: Gekkonidae) of Southern Africa, with the Description of Eight New Species". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series 57 (23): 595–709. (Pachydactylus goodi, new species, pp. 679–681 + Figures 113–116 on p. 643).

Notes and References

1. A new species of the Pachydactylus weberi group (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Orange River, with remarks on its natural history . Salamandra . 2006 . Aaron M. . Bauer . Barts, Mirko . species:Mirko Barts . Hulbert, Felix . species:Felix Hulbert . 42 . 2/3 . 83–92. (Pachydactylus atorquatus, new species).
2. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]