Pachydactylus

Thick-toed geckos
P. oshaughnessyi at Lusaka, Zambia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Gekkota
Family: Gekkonidae
Subfamily: Gekkoninae
Genus: Pachydactylus
Wiegmann, 1834[1]

Pachydactylus is a genus of insectivorous geckos, endemic to Africa, and commonly known as thick-toed geckos.

Description

The genus Pachydactylus is characterised by dilated toe tips, usually with undivided scansors. Body scales are small, granular and non-overlapping, with scattered, large keeled tubercles.

Behavior

Most, if not all, species of Pachydactylus are nocturnal.

Habitat

Pachydactylus species live in a diverse range of habitats.

Diet

Lizards of the genus Pachydactylus feed mainly on arthropods.

Geographic range

The geographic range of the genus Pachydactylus is centred on Southern Africa, some reaching East Africa, the northernmost limit of their distribution.

Species

The following species are recognized as being valid.[2]

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

References

  1. ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  2. "Pachydactylus ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  3. Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. 2011. The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Pachydactylus barnardi, p. 17).

Further reading


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