Cape Cross thick-toed gecko

The Cape Cross thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus kochii), also known commonly as Koch's gecko and Koch's thick-toed gecko, is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.

Cape Cross thick-toed gecko
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Pachydactylus
Species:
P. kochii
Binomial name
Pachydactylus kochii
Synonyms[1]
  • Pachydactylus kochii
    V. FitzSimons, 1959
  • Colopus kochi
    Bauer & Lamb, 2005

Etymology

The specific name, kochii, is in honor of Austrian-born South African entomologist Charles Koch.[2]

Geographic range

P. kochi is found in Namibia and in South Africa (southern Namaqualand).[1]

Description

Adults of P. kochii have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 4–5 cm (1.6–2.0 in). The body is slender. Dorsally, the ground color is grayish with a lavender tinge, and there are five reddish-brown crossbands. Ventrally it is white.[3]

Reproduction

P. kochii is oviparous.[1]

References

  1. "Pachydactylus kochii " The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  2. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Colopus kochii, p. 144).
  3. 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. ISBN 0-88359-042-5.(Pachydactylus kochii, p. 254 + Plate 80).

Further reading

  • FitzSimons V (1959). "Some new reptiles from southern Africa and southern Angola". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 23: 405–409. (Pachydactylus kochii, new species, p. 405).
  • Bauer AM, Lamb T (2005). "Phylogenetic relationships of southern African geckos in the Pachydactylus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae)". African Journal of Herpetology 54 (2): 105–129. (Colopus kochii, new combination, p. 105).


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