Pachydactylus mclachlani BAUER, LAMB & BRANCH, 2006
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Pachydactylus mclachlani
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Pachydactylus mclachlani BAUER, LAMB & BRANCH 2006: 670 Pachydactylus weberi BAUER & LAMB 2005 (part.) Pachydactylus mclachlani — MASHININI & MAHLANGU 2013 Pachydactylus mclachlani — SCHLEICHER 2020 |
| Distribution | Namibia (scattered localities in the Karasberge (Narudas), at Aroab on the western edge of the Kalahari, and along the Orange River between Sperlingsputs and Noordoewer) Type locality: Namibia, Karas Region, Karasburg District, Noordoewer (28°39′48′′S, 17°49′23′′E), |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: NMNW R 10499 (Fig. 93): Adult male; coll. M. Griffin, 11 April 1997. PARATYPES: NMNW, CAS, TM. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A moderately large species, to 48.7 mm SVL (NMNWR 10496). Pachydactylus mclachlani may be distinguished from all other members of the P. serval/ weberigroup by the combination of the following characters: nasal region moderately inflated; rostral narrowly excluded from nostril; supranasals in broad or narrow contact anteriorly; scales on snout and canthus granular, rounded to oval, flattened to weakly domed, much larger than granular scales of interorbital and parietal regions; small, rounded, conical tubercles, smaller than snout scales, interspersed among granules of interorbital and parietal regions; dorsal scalation heterogeneous, with moderately large, oval, strongly keeled tubercles arranged in 14–18 regular rows; thighs bearing enlarged conical tubercles; toes relatively long, toe pads moderately broad; typically six undivided lamellae beneath digit IV of pes; tail to at least 112% of SVL, annulate, bearing whorls of slightly enlarged, oval, flattened to weakly keeled tubercles, each well-separated from one another; adult pattern midbrown to purplish-brown with two thin light (cream to grayish- or purplish-brown) transverse bands, one on nape and one on trunk anterior to midbody. A broader pale band, just anterior to the hindlimb insertion, is less well developed or inconspicuous in some adults (Figs. 93–97 in Bauer et al. 2006). In some larger specimens the basic pattern is augmented by additional dark spots and incomplete bars; tail uniform brown to grayish-brown or with weakly contrasting alternating light and dark segments, caudal tubercles whitish; juvenile pattern very dark brown trunk with lighter head, a pale nape band and very thin anterior trunk band, area from just anterior to sacrum to tail base, including hindlimbs, ashy to pale purplish-brown, with or without a dark band across pygal portion of tail; tail orange. |
| Comment | HABITAT: under stones, Kalahari sand. Distribution: see map in BRANCH et al. 2011. |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is a patronym honoring the late Geoff McLachlan (1923–2005), ornithologist and herpetologist, former director of the Port Elizabeth Museum and later Curator of Herpetology at the South African Museum. Geoff devoted much of his later life to the study of Pachydactylusand his pioneering studies on P. servaland its relatives highlighted the taxonomic difficulties of this group. |
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