''Pachydactylus haackei'', also known commonly as Haacke's gecko or Haacke's thick-toed gecko, is a species 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 Gekkonidae. The species is native to Southern Africa.

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 ...

, ''haackei'', and the common names are in honor of herpetologist Wulf Dietrich Haacke (born 1936) of the Transvaal Museum.

Geographic range

''P. haackei'' is found in southern Namibia and South Africa.

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of ''P. haackei'' is rocky areas of

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 ...

, at altitudes of .

Description

Adults of ''P. haackei'' usually have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The maximum recorded SVL is . The body is stout, and the ear opening tends to be squarish. Branch, Bill (2004). ''A Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. . (''Pachydactylus haackei'', p. 258 + Plate 10).

Behavior

''P. haackei'' is terrestrial and rupicolous (rock-dwelling).

Reproduction

''P. haackei'' 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

* Bates MF, Alexander GJ, Bauer AM (2022). "Tribute to a legend of southern African herpetology: Wulf Dietrich Haacke (1936–2021), with a bibliography of his herpetological contributions". ''African Journal of Herpetology'' 71 (1): 1–13. * Branch WR, Bauer AM, Good DA (1996). "A review of the Namaqua gecko, ''Pachydactylus namaquensis'' (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) from southern Africa, with the Description of two new species". ''South African Journal of Zoology'' 31 (2): 53-69. (''Pachydactylus haackei'', new species, p. 61). * Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)''". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Pachydactylus haackei'', p. 98). (in German). *Schleicher, Alfred (2020). ''Reptiles of Namibia''. Windhoek, Namibia: Namibia Scientific Society/Kuiseb Publishers. 272 pp. . {{Taxonbar, from=Q5087632 Pachydactylus Reptiles of Namibia Reptiles of South Africa Reptiles described in 1996 Taxa named by William Roy Branch