Ptenopus garrulus (SMITH, 1849)
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Ptenopus garrulus
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | Ptenopus garrulus maculatus GRAY 1866 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus (A. SMITH 1849) |
| Common Names | E: Whistling Gecko, Common Barking Gecko [garrulus] E: Spotted Barking Gecko [maculatus] |
| Synonym | Stenodactylus garrulous SMITH 1849 Ptenopus garrulus — BOULENGER 1885: 15 Ptenopus garrulus — BOETTGER 1886: 10 Ptenopus garrulus — HEWITT 1935: 305 Ptenopus garrulus — FITZSIMONS & BRAIN 1958 Ptenopus garrulus — HAACKE 1976 Ptenopus garrulus — KLUGE 1993 Ptenopus garrulus — RÖSLER 1995: 149 Ptenopus garrulus — BAUER 2013 (plates) Ptenopus garrulus — SCHLEICHER 2020 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus (A. SMITH 1849) Stenodactylus garrulous SMITH 1849 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — FITZSIMONS 1935: 524 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — LOVERIDGE 1947: 31 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — AUERBACH 1987: 92 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — RÖSLER 2000: 107 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — BATES et al. 2014: 146 Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — BOURQUIN & GRUENER 2017 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus GRAY 1866 Ptenopus maculatus GRAY 1866: 640 Ptenopus maculatus — COPE 1869: 321 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — FITZSIMONS 1935: 525 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — LOVERIDGE 1947: 33 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — WERMUTH 1965: 153 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — HAACKE 1975 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — BAUER et al. 1993 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — BRANCH 1994 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — BATES et al. 2014: 146 |
| Distribution | Republic of South Africa (S Little-Namaqualand, Cape Province), Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe maculatus: Southwest Africa, southern Damaraland, Great Namaqualand, Nw Cape Province (= Little Namaqualand); Type locality: Damaraland, Southwest Africa Type locality: Inland of South Africa. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Types: BMNH 1946.8.23.43-49 (and possibly additional specimens). Syntypes: BMNH 1946.8.23.53-54 [maculatus] |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Ptenopus species midsized geckos, ranging in size from approximately 50–65 mm in adult maximum SVL. Ptenopus species are robust in body form, with notably large eyes and extremely short snouts. As in all gekkonids, eyelids do not fully function, but unlike other gekkonids, the eyelids are partially movable. The typical color pattern is muted tan, brown, or gray, usually with spots, reticulations, or bands. Species of Ptenopus are distinguished from other geckos by the following combination of characteristics: hyoid with second ceratobranchial cartilages; 15–17 scleral ossicles; stapedial foramen absent; frontal single and parietal paired; cloacal bones present; phalangeal formula 2-3-4-5-3/2-3-4-5-4 (manus/pes); paraphalangeal elements absent; eye with vertical pupil, with notched margins; digits free, not broadened into adhesive pads but with lateral fringes, prominently clawed; dorsal scalation relatively uniform, small granules; preanal pores absent; tail thick, cylindrical, tapering; females lay one or two hard-shelled eggs (Loveridge 1947, Kluge 1967, 1987, Kluge and Nussbaum 1995, Russell and Bauer 2008). |
| Comment | Type species: Ptenopus maculatus GRAY 1866 is the type species of the genus Ptenopus SMITH 1866: 640. Key: Haacke 1964: 3 has a key to the species of Ptenopus. Diet: a large percentage of the diet of this species (10-30%) consists of ants (Lucas et al. 2023). |
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