''Pachydactylus labialis'', commonly known as the Calvinia thick-toed gecko, Western Cape gecko, or Western Cape thick-toed gecko, is a
gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from .
Geckos ar ...
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 ...
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
and
Northern Cape
The Northern Cape is the largest and most sparsely populated province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley. It includes the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, part of the Kgalagadi T ...
in
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 ...
, often found taking shelter under stones.
Geographic range
''P. labialis'' is endemic to the arid western parts of South Africa. One common name refers to the town of
Calvinia
Calvinia is a regional town in the Northern Cape province of South Africa named after the French people, French religious reformer Jean Calvin. The town falls under the Hantam Local Municipality which forms part of the Namakwa District Municipalit ...
in the
Namakwaland.
Description
''P. labialis'' has a body length (snout-vent length or SVL) of about with a tail that is a further in length. The head has a shorter snout than ''
Pachydactylus capensis'' and is slightly narrower at .
[ (in ]German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
).
From above it is greyish brown with irregular dark markings and lighter spots arranged in stripes over the back.
The head is about in length and has a dark band running from the lower part of the eye to above the ear, while a paler stripe runs from the tip of the snout above the eye's dark streak. The
labial scales
The labial scales are the scales of snakes and other scaled reptiles that border the mouth opening. These do not include the median scales on the upper and lower jawsWright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7 ...
(on the mouth) are dark brown and creamy white, giving the appearance of striped lips.
The original tail has dark brown to blackish crossbars, but regenerated tails are more spotted.
See also
*
Snake scales
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints ...
References
Further reading
*
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 labialis'', p. 253 + Plate 82).
*
FitzSimons V. 1938. "Transvaal Museum Expedition to South-West Africa and Little Namaqualand, May to August 1937. Reptiles and Amphibians". ''Annals of the Transvaal Museum'' 19 (2): 153–209. (''Pachydactylus capensis labialis'', new subspecies, pp. 168–170, figure 7).
*
Kluge AG. 1993. ''Gekkonoid Lizard Taxonomy''. Ann Arbor, Michigan: International Gecko Society. 245 pp.
External links
''Pachydactylus labialis''
www.pachydactylus.com
"''Pachydactylus labialis'' ". The Reptile Database
L
Endemic reptiles of South Africa
Natural history of Cape Town
Reptiles described in 1938
Taxa named by Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons
Lizards of Africa
Reptiles of South Africa
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