Homopholis walbergii (SMITH, 1849)
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Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Wahlberg’s Velvet Gecko |
Synonym | Geko Walbergii A. SMITH 1849: plate 75 Homopholis walbergii — BOULENGER 1885: 171 Homopholis macrolepis BOULENGER 1885: 474 (fide LOVERIDGE 1947) Homopholis walbergii — WERMUTH 1965: 93 Homopholus wahlbergi [sic] — KAHL et al. 1980: 137 Homopholis walbergii — AUERBACH 1987: 89 Platypholis walbergii — KLUGE 1993 Homopholis wahlbergi — BRANCH 1993 Homopholis walbergii — KLUGE & NUSSBAUM 1995 Platypholis walbergii — RÖSLER 1995: 148 Homopholis wahlbergi — BOYCOTT 1992 Homopholis wahlbergii — BRANCH 1993: 118 Homopholis walbergii — RÖSLER 2000: 89 Homopholis wahlbergii — BRANCH & BAUER 2005 Homopholis wahlbergii — BROADLEY et al. 2014 |
Distribution | South Africa (south of the Soutpansberg), Mozambique (south of the Limpopo River) Type locality: Kaffernland easwards to the Cape Colony. Neotype locality: Jozini Dam, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa |
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Neotype: PEM R17603, adult female, designated by BROADLEY et al. 2014 Holotype: BMNH 1946.8.26.4 [macrolepis] |
Diagnosis | Description: Nostril bordered by 4–9 scales and the first upper labial; internasals 1–2; upper labials 10–13; lower labials 10–12; scales between eye and ear 23–30; midbody scale rows 70–96; precloacal pores in males 2; lamellae beneath fourth toe 10–13. Colour pattern: Light grey with a vertebral series of about six or seven large whitish spots, vague dark crossbands or reticulations and some blackish lateral speckling (Fig. 3B). A few specimens have some black ventral peppering, or a dark reticulation. |
Comment | Type species: Geko Wahlbergii A. SMITH 1849: plate 7 is the type species of the genus Homopholis BOULENGER 188: 191. Diet: Whiting et al. (2007) found that the diet of this species consisted largely of beetles and lepidopterans, with alate termites, grasshoppers and small millipedes also well represented. Habitat: Like H. arnoldi, this species is often found on the walls of buildings, in rock crevices, holes of tree trunks, or under the loose bark of dead trees. |
Etymology | Named after the collector of the type specimen, Mr. Walberg of Stockholm. Note, however, that Smith’s spelling was not consistent. He used “wahlbergii” in the index to his book, but “walbergi” in the description. We use walbergi here as he explicitly mentions “Mr. Walberg”. |
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