You are here » home search results Chondrodactylus pulitzerae

Chondrodactylus pulitzerae (SCHMIDT, 1933)

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Chondrodactylus pulitzerae?

Add your own observation of
Chondrodactylus pulitzerae »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Pulitzer’s Thick-toed Gecko 
SynonymPachydactylus bibronii pulitzerae SCHMIDT 1933: 6
Pachydactylus bibronii pulitzerae — HELLMICH 1957
Pachydactylus laevigatus pulitzerae — BENYR 1995: 50
Pachydactylus turneri pulitzerae — BRANCH 1998
Chondrodactylus pulitzerae — CERIACO et al. 2014
Pachydactylus pulitzerae — FELDMAN et al. 2015
Chondrodactylus cf. pulitzerae — CONRADIE et al. 2016
Chondrodactylus pulitzerae — CERIACO et al. 2017
Chondrodactylus pulitzerae — HEINZ et al. 2021: 183
Condrodactylus pulitzerae — LOBÓN-ROVIRA et al. 2022 (in error) 
DistributionN Namibia through S Angola.

Type locality: Pico Azevedo, Angola.  
Reproductionoviparous (manual imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: CM 5619, male; paratypes: FMNH 18478 [formerly CM
5620] (Marx, 1958) and MCZ R39728 [formerly CM 5622] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A large Chondrodactylus (to ≥ 102.2 mm SVL; PEM R21610) bearing prominent subdigital lamellae. Body robust and somewhat depressed. Head large and triangular, not as broad as long (usually < 90% broad as long), inflection at ear relatively angular when viewed from above, snout more pointed than in congeners, elongate, canthus rostralis relatively welldeveloped, loreal region somewhat inflated, interorbital region strongly concave. Scales from parietal region forward small (smallest medially), smooth to weakly keeled, contrasting strongly with the very large stellate scales on the occiput and nape. Unlike congeners, most dorsal head scales, except those of snout, are separated from one another by minute granules (Fig. 5B). Enlarged tubercles of nape becoming more conical to mucronate laterally. Prominent spiny tubercles over ears. Chin and gular scales small and granular, approximately 5 chin scales contained within the diameter of a single paravertebral dorsal tubercle. Dorsal tubercles large, oval, and weakly to strongly keeled, usually separated by smaller granular scales, becoming conical to mucronate on flanks. A ‘‘naked’’ midvertebral line, at least on the occiput, nape and shoulders, although often extending well down the trunk or to the tail base, several granular scale rows wide and appearing at a distance as a pale mid-vertebral stripe (Fig. 6D). This may be clearly evident along the entire trunk (Fig. 13A), or part thereof (Fig. 13B, C) or may be relatively subtle (Fig. 13D) but is always present. A similar ‘‘naked’’ area, although always limited to the nape is present in some C. turneri. 16–18 regular to irregular longitudinal rows of relatively flattened, smooth to keeled, but rarely stellate, oval to rounded, dorsal tubercles. Trunk tubercles almost always separated from one another in all directions by small granules. Tubercles on dorsum of thigh very large, flattened to weakly inflated, becoming keeled or mucronate on shank. Tail distinctly verticillate, each whorl at tail-base bearing 6–8 enlarged, though not strongly projecting, keeled or conical (dorsal) to strongly mucronate (lateral) tubercles; tubercles per whorl decreasing distally. Dorsal coloration usually buff to light brown with indistinct to moderately welldeveloped reddish-brown to dark brown dorsal crossbars, especially anteriorly. Basic pattern similar to congeners, with nape, shoulder, mid-body, mid-abdomen, and hip bands. White tubercles, when present, typically immediately posterior of dark bands. Pale interspaces in between darker bands may form a regular pattern of oval markings connected by the pale middorsal granular line (Fig. 13A). Thick pale line from snout to dorsal portion of eye generally distinct and bordered above and below by thinner dark lines. Tail banded, with 8–9 dark bands fading laterally; boundaries between pale and dark bands usually marked by complete or incomplete dark brown edges; some darker bands may be reduced to middorsal blotches (Heinz et al. 2021). 
CommentSynonymy: Prior to its description by Schmidt (1933), specimens referable to this taxon were assigned to P. bibronii (Bocage, 1867a, b, 1887a, b, 1895; Boulenger, 1885; Mertens, 1926), based on overall similarity and the presence of mostly strongly keeled or mucronate scales across the dorsum.

Distribution: See map in Heinz et al. 2021: 183 (Fig. 12). 
EtymologyNamed after Ralph Pulitzer (1879-1939), American heir, newspaper publisher and author, who is only mentioned in Schmidt’s description as a “member of the party” that was on the Pulitzer Angola expedition. 
References
  • Benyr, G. 1995. Systematik und Taxonomie der Geckos des Pachydactylus bibronii-laevigatus Komplexes (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae). Diploma thesis, Univ. Wien, 75 pp.
  • Branch, W. R. 1998. Field Guide to the Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. 3rd ed. Fully Revised and Updated to Include 83 New Species. Ralph Curtis Books (Sanibel Island, Florida), 399 pp.
  • Ceríaco, Luis M. P., Aaron M. Bauer, David C. Blackburn and Ana C. F. C. Lavres. 2014. The herpetofauna of the Capanda Dam Region, Malanje, Angola. Herpetological Review 45 (4): 667-674 - get paper here
  • CERÍACO, L. M. P.; A. M. BAUER, M. P. HEINECKE & D.C. BLACKBURN 2017. GEKKONIDAE: Chondrodactylus pulitzerae (Schmidt, 1933) - PULITZER’S THICK-TOED GECKO IN ANGOLA. African Herp News (64): 41-44 - get paper here
  • Conradie W and Branch WR. 2016. The herpetofauna of the Cubango, Cuito, and lower Cuando river catchments of south-eastern Angola. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 10 (2) [Special Section]: 6–36 - get paper here
  • Heinz, Morgan D.; Ian G. Brennan, Todd R. Jackman & Aaron M. Bauer 2021. Phylogeny of the genus Chondrodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) with the establishment of a stable taxonomy. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 163(5): 151–210. - get paper here
  • Hellmich, W. 1957. Herpetologische Ergebnisse einer Forschungsreise in Angola. Veröff. Zool. Staatssammlung München 5: 1-91 - get paper here
  • Lobón-Rovira J, Vaz Pinto P, S. Becker F, Tolley KA, Measey J, Bennet B, Boon B, de Sá S, Conradie W 2022. An updated herpetofaunal species inventory of Iona National Park in southwestern Angola. Check List 18(2): 289-321 - get paper here
  • Marques MP, Parrinha D, Lopes-Lima M, Tiutenko A, Bauer AM, Ceríaco LMP 2024. An island in a sea of sand: a first checklist of the herpetofauna of the Serra da Neve inselberg, southwestern Angola. ZooKeys 1201: 167-217 - get paper here
  • Marques, Mariana P.; Luis M. P. Ceríaco , David C. Blackburn , and Aaron M. Bauer 2018. Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola -- Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840–2017). Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (Ser. 4) 65: 1-501 (Supplement II)
  • Rösler, H. 2000. Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha). Gekkota 2: 28-153
  • SANTOS, B. S. .,MARQUES, M. P. ., BAUER, A. M. ., & CERÍACO, L. M. P. . 2021. Herpetological results of Francisco Newton’s Zoological Expedition to Angola (1903–1906): a taxonomic revision and new records of a forgotten collection. Zootaxa 5028 (1): 1–80 - get paper here
  • Schmidt, Karl Patterson 1933. The reptiles of the Pulitzer Angola Expedition. Annals of the Carnegie Museum 22 (1): 1-15
  • Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Chondrodactylus&species=pulitzerae

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator