Goggia lineata (GRAY, 1838)
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Goggia lineata
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Striped Dwarf Leaf-toed Gecko |
| Synonym | Phyllodactylus lineatus GRAY 1838: 268 Diplodactylus lineatus — GRAY 1845: 150 Phyllodactylus lineatus — GRAY 1849 Phyllodactylus lineatus — BOULENGER 1885: 92 Phyllodactylus porphyreus — WERNER 1910: 307 (part.) Phyllodactylus lineatus lineatus — HEWITT 1937 Phyllodactylus lineatus — WERMUTH 1965: 138 Phyllodactylus lineatus — KLUGE 1993 Phyllodactylus lineatus — RÖSLER 1995: 146 Goggia lineata — BAUER et al. 1997 Goggia lineata — RÖSLER 2000: 83 Goggia lineata — BATES et al. 2014: 111 |
| Distribution | Republic of South Africa (Cape Province, S Warmbad), S Namibia Type locality: Namaqualand; Cape of Good Hope (fide BAUER et al. 1995). |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Syntype: BMNH xxi.11.2-3 (fide Loveridge 1947: 250, De Lisle et al. 2013: 101), maybe lost (Heinicke et al. 2017) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Distinguished from other members of the P. lineatus complex by a combination of lhe following features: usually five preanal pores in males, a low number of midbody scale rows (64-84), few scales between the nostril and anterior margin of the orbit (7-10), a deep head, and a cylindrical body. In addition, it differs by 4-8 fixed alleles from the other taxa examined electrophoretically (Branch et al. 1995). Description: (Figure IF, IG) Head deep, not dorsoventrally flattened (depth 1.53 times width; range 1.22 - 2.19); snout rounded, and about 1.6 - 2.0 times the eye diameter; ear opening small, obliquely rounded, and without eularged lobules or a tympanic shield; rostral subpentagonal with a median cleft above; nostril pierced between rostral, first supralabial and three nasals, the largest bordering the rostral; usnally I (49.8%) or 2 (43.5%) nasorostral granules, rarely 0 (1.4%) or 3 (5.5%); supralabials usually 7 (50.6%), often 6 (35.0%), rarely 8 (13.6%) or 9 (0.8%); infralabials usnally 6 (63.6%), often 7 (23.6%), rarely 5 (10.0%) or 8 (2.8%); mental subpentagular bordered by 2-3 (average 2.21), rarely 4, chinshields that are larger than adjacent granules; 5-9 (average 6.1) granules bordering chinshields. Body short (maximum snout-vent length 31.75 mm) and cylindrical, covered dorsally with uniform, smooth, flattened, subimbricate granules; belly covered in smooth, hexagonal, imbricate sc ales that are much larger than on back and may have denticulate edges. Limbs short to moderate and covered in uniform, flattened, subimbricate granules; digits flattened basally, with three rows of subdigital granules, the median series slightly broader; toe tips rounded, only slightly expanded and bearing a pair of large, subrectangular scansors that enclose a small claw. An angular series of preanal pores present only in males, usnally 5 (87.1%), rarely 4 (6.45%) or 6 (6.45%); two to three enlarged tubercular scales on either side of tail base near vent, that are larger in males. T ail cylindrical, tapering, and, when umegenerated, usually longer (up to 1.3 times) than snout-vent length; covered above with regular rows of uniform, smooth granules, that are much larger, flattened and imbricate on ventral surface (Branch et al. 1995). Colour: Above grey, sometimes with brownish infusion, and with dark gray to black markings that may occur in two phases (intermediates may also occur). Striped phase (PEM R7607, Richtersveld National Park) -- a black line extends from the snout, through the middle of the eye and temporal region, on to the flanks and tail base; a pair of dorso-lateral lines originate on the sides of the crown, and fuse in the sacral region to extend on to the proximal region of the tail. Scalloped phase (PEM RII161, Schaapen Island, Langebaan) -- the dorsum is covered with an irregular series of pale dorsal spots, each emargined anteriorly by a black edge; these margins may fuse (particularly on the neck, back of the head, and sacral region) to form a scalloped pattern that on the proximal region of an original tail forms irregular bars; a faint stripe may occur on the lower flank, extending through the eye to the snout. The throat, ventrum and lower surfaces of the tail and limbs are cream in both phases. The distal region of the original tail, particularly in hatchlings, may be pink-brown (Branch et al. 1995). |
| Comment | Subspecies: Phyllodactylus lineatus essexi and P. l. rupicolus have been raised to species status by BAUER et al. 1997. Type Species: Phyllodactylus lineatus GRAY 1838 is the type species of the genus Goggia BAUER et al. 1997. |
| Etymology | Named after Latin “linea”, meaning stripe or line. The genus Goggia has been named after the Afrikaans word “gogga”, meaning a “creepy-crawly”, usually an arthropod or reptile. |
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