Chondrodactylus pulitzerae (SCHMIDT, 1933)
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Chondrodactylus pulitzerae
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Pulitzer’s Thick-toed Gecko |
| Synonym | Pachydactylus 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) |
| Distribution | N Namibia through S Angola. Type locality: Pico Azevedo, Angola. |
| Reproduction | oviparous (manual imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: CM 5619, male; paratypes: FMNH 18478 [formerly CM 5620] (Marx, 1958) and MCZ R39728 [formerly CM 5622] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: 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). |
| Comment | Synonymy: 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). |
| Etymology | Named 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. |
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