Afrogecko porphyreus (DAUDIN, 1802)
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Afrogecko porphyreus
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Marbled leaf-toed gecko |
| Synonym | Gecko porphyreus DAUDIN 1802: 130 Phyllodactylus porphyreus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1836: 393 Phytodactylus porphyreus — WAINSON 1839: 371 (in error) Phyllodactylus porphyreus — BOULENGER 1885: 87 Phyllodactylus porphyreus namaquensis HEWITT 1935: 320 Phyllodactylus porphyreus cronwrigthi HEWITT 1937: 205 Phyllodactylus porphyreus namaquensis — WERMUTH 1965: 143 Phyllodactylus porphyreus — KLUGE 1993 Afrogecko porphyreus — BAUER et al. 1997 Afrogecko porphyreus — HEINICKE et al. 2014 |
| Distribution | Republic of South Africa (S/SW Cape, Port Elizabeth), Islands off the west coast of South Africa (Robben, Jutten, Dassen, Meeuw, Marcus, Malgas, Schappen). One questionable record from Cameroon (Tornier 1902), Namibia Type locality: Santo Domingo Island. Terra typica designata (FlTZSIMONS 1943): Cape of Good Hope namaquensis: Type locality: “Bitterfontein, Namaqualand” |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MNHN-RA 6732 Holotype: PEM R16091 (formerly AMG 6943) [namaquensis] Syntype: PEM R16087 [cronwrigthi] |
| Diagnosis | Definition (genus) Afrogecko is distinguishable from all other geckos based on the following combination of characters: size moderate (45–50 mm max. SVL), with a fairly large head and long snout, cylindrical body, and round, tapering tail. Digits are free and bear a single pair of dilated terminal adhesive pads (‘leaf toes’); claws are present on all digits. Dorsal scalation consists of small, smooth granules. Preanal pores are absent; one cloacal spur is present. The eye bears a vertical pupil with crenate margins. The skull displays no co-ossification with the overlying skin; fused nasals; frontal single; parietal paired; stapes imperforate; 14 scleral ossicles; 8-12 premaxillary, and between 30 and 35 dentary teeth; hyoid with second ceratobranchial cartilages. There are 26 presacral vertebrae and one pair of cloacal bones. The phalangeal formula is 2-3-4-5-3 (manus)/ 2-3-4-5-4 (pes); paraphalangeal elements are absent. Afrogecko porphyreus exhibits the following nonhomoplastic apomorphic cranial characters: vomer overlapping the maxilla posterior to the fenestra vomeronasalis externa, incomplete neochoanate condition (17-1, 53-1, Fig. 21); frontal medial process longer than lateral processes (137-2, Fig. 11); surangular contacts the dentary anterior to coronoid-dentary contact (352-2, Fig. 16) [HEINICKE et al. 2014]. |
| Comment | Distribution: Records from Madagascar are in error since they refer to Phyllodactylus brevipes. Subspecies: The subspecies described by HEWITT (1935, 1937) have been questioned and synonymized with the “nominate” form (see Bauer et al. 1997). Type species: Gecko porphyreus DAUDIN 1802 is the type species of the genus Afrogecko BAUER, GOOD & BRANCH 1997. |
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