You are here » home › search results › Lygodactylus picturatus

Lygodactylus picturatus (PETERS, 1870)

IUCN Red List - Lygodactylus picturatus - Least Concern, LC
iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Lygodactylus picturatus?

Add your own observation of
Lygodactylus picturatus »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
SubspeciesLygodactylus picturatus picturatus (PETERS 1870)
Lygodactylus picturatus sudanensis LOVERIDGE 1935 
Common NamesE: Painted Dwarf Gecko, White-headed Dwarf Gecko
G: Gelbkopf-Zwerggecko
sudanensis: Sudani Dwarf Gecko
luteopicturatus: Yellow-headed dwarf gecko 
SynonymHemidactylus variegatus PETERS 1868: 449 (not of DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1836)
Hemidactylus picturatus PETERS 1870: 115 (nom. subst. pro H. variegatus)
Lygodactylus picturatus — BOULENGER 1885: 161
Lygodactylus picturatus var. griseus TORNIER 1897: 24
Lygodactylus picturatus var. septemlineatus TORNIER 1896: 15
Lygodactylus picturatus var. septemlineatus TORNIER 1897: 26
Lygodactylus septemstriatus [TORNIER 1897] (invalid emendation)
Lygodactylus picturatus var. quinquelineatus TORNIER 1896: 15
Lygodactylus picturatus var. quinquestriata TORNIER 1897: 25 (invalid emend.)
Lygodactylus picturatus picturatus — LOVERIDGE 1953: 171
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus PASTEUR 1964
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus luteopicturatus PASTEUR 1964
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus zanzibaritis PASTEUR 1964
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus luteopicturatus — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 10
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus zanzibaritis — BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991: 10
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus — KLUGE 1993
Lygodactylus picturatus — KLUGE 1993
Lygodactylus (Lygodactylus) picturatus — RÖSLER 2000: 94
Lygodactylus (Lygodactylus) luteopicturatus luteopicturatus — RÖSLER 2000: 93
Lygodactylus (Lygodactylus) luteopicturatus zanzibaritis — RÖSLER 2000: 93
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus — JESUS et al. 2006
Lygodactylus picturatus — RÖLL et al. 2010
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus — MALONZA et al. 2011
Lygodactylus luteopicturatus zanzibaritis — BAUER 2013 (plates)
Lygodactylus picturatus — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 112
Lygodactylus picturatus zanzibaritis — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 112

Lygodactylus picturatus sudanensis LOVERIDGE 1935
Lygodactylus picturatus sudanensis LOVERIDGE 1935: 197
Lygodactylus picturatus sudanensis — KLUGE 1993
Lygodactylus sudanensis — LARGEN 1997: 78
Lygodactylus (Lygodactylus) picturatus sudanensis — RÖSLER 2000: 94
Lygodactylus sudanensis — LARGEN & SPAWLS 2010: 328
Lygodactylus sudanensis — SPAWLS et al. 2023 
Distributioncoastal SE Kenya (Kilindini, Island Mombasa), NE Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Island Mafia, Somalia, Zanzibar (Saranda/Dodoma District), (Killilindi/Mombasa Suranda/Ugogo), Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo (Katanga = SE Zaire), S Sudan (Jumhūriyyat), Republic of South Sudan (RSS) (Abu Zor/Senaar), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali (likely; Joger & Lambert 1996), Gambia (Lygodactylus gutturalis, HÅKANSSON 1981)

S Cameroon (Foulassi), Guinea, Cameroon, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda ?, Burundi ?, Benin ?, Togo ?, Ghana ?, Ivory Coast ?, Liberia ?, Sierra Leone ?, Guinea-Bissau ?

sudanensis: Eritrea, Sudan (Jumhūriyyat), Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Ethiopia; Type locality: “Abu Zor, Senaar, Anglo-Egyptian Sudan (Jumhūriyyat), Republic of South Sudan (RSS)”

Type locality: “Zanzibarküste” [Tanzania]

luteopicturatus: S Kenya, E Tanzania, Zanzibar Island; Type locality(luteopicturatus): Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; Type locality (zanzibaritis): Zanzibar, Tanzania  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesHolotype: ZMB 5570
Holotype: MCZ 8800; paratypes: MCZ 8799, 8801 rom El Mesherat, Senaar, MCZ 8802, BMNH 1908.5.19.7 from Roseires, Blue Nile, Senaar; MBNH 1927.8.13.16 from Singa, Blue Nile, Senaar, BMNH 1907.10.24.4 from between Wau and Chak Chak, Bahr el Ghazel Province, Sudan, MSNM (Milan) [sudanensis]
Holotype: SMF 57212 [luteopicturatus]
Holotype: MCZ 19118 [zanzibaritis] 
DiagnosisUnfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 230 characters), are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSubspecies: Lygodactylus picturatus gutturalis (BOCAGE 1873) and Lygodactylus picturatus mombasicus LOVERIDGE 1935 have been elevated to full species status.

Synonymy: Mostly after Loveridge 1947 and Wermuth 1965. Listed in LeBreton 1999 as being a synonym of Lygodactylus gutturalis dysmicus. Lygodactylus picturatus ukerewensis LOVERIDGE 1935 is listed as a synonym of L. manni by BROADLEY & HOWELL 1991. RÖLL (2004) synonymized Lygodactylus luteopicturatus with L. picturatus without discussing the status of L. l. zanzibaritis further.

Sympatry: L. mombasicus (Kenya)

Distribution: Not in Equatorial Guinea fide SÁNCHEZ-VIALAS et al. 2022.

Reference images: see Uetz et al. 2024 for high-resolution reference images for this species. 
EtymologyNamed after Latin pictus (picta, pictum) = ornate, colorful, gracile, painted, for the pattern in this species.

L. p. sudanensis was named after its type locality in South Sudan. 
References
  • Angel, Fernand 1925. Résultats Scientifiques. Vertebrata. Reptiles et Batraciens. [Mabuia (Mabuiopsis) jeanneli, Lygosoma graueri quinquedigitata, Ablepharus massaiensis]. In: Voyage de Ch. Alluaud et R. Jeannel en Afrique Orientale (1911-1912). - Paris, 2: 1-63.
  • Bauer, A.M. 2013. Geckos - The Animal Answer Guide. Johns Hopkins University Press, 159 pp.
  • Bocage, J.V.B. 1873. Melanges erpetologiques. II. Sur quelques reptiles et batraciens nouveaux, rares ou peu connus d‘Afrique occidentale. Jorn. Sci. Math. Phys. Nat. Lisboa 4: 209-227 - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1885. Catalogue of the lizards in the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) I. Geckonidae, Eublepharidae, Uroplatidae, Pygopodidae, Agamidae. London: 450 pp. - get paper here
  • Boulenger, G.A. 1891. On some Reptiles collected by Sig. L. Bricchetti Robecchi in Somaliland. Ann. Mus. St. nat. Genova (2) 12: 5-15 [1892?]
  • Broadley, D. G. & HOWELL, K. M. 1991. A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys. Syntarsus 1: 1—70
  • Buruwate, T. C., & Lloyd-Jones, D. J. 2024. Amphibian and Reptile Diversity of Niassa Special Reserve, Northern Mozambique. Journal of East African Natural History, 113(1), 1-18 - get paper here
  • Calabresi, Enrica 1915. Contributo alla conoscenza dei rettili della Somalia. Monitore Zoologico Italiano (supplemento), 28:234—247. - get paper here
  • Castiglia, Riccardo 2004. First chromosomal analysis for the genus Lygodactylus (Gray, 1864): the karyotype of L. picturatus (Squamata, Gekkonidae, Gekkoninae). African Journal of Herpetology 53 (1): 95-97 - get paper here
  • Castiglia, Riccardo and Flavia Annesi 2011. The phylogenetic position of Lygodactylus angularis and the utility of using the 16S rDNA gene for delimiting species in Lygodactylus (Squamata, Gekkonidae). Acta Herpetologica 6 (1): 35-45 - get paper here
  • Cimatti, E. 2005. Zanzibar - Zala Zoological Park. Reptilia (GB) (39): 62-68 - get paper here
  • Goldberg, Stephen R. 2008. Note on Reproduction of the Painted Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus picturatus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Kenya and Uganda. Bull. Maryland Herp. Soc. 44 (1): 18-21 - get paper here
  • Grubermann, M. 2013. Einige fotografische Beobachtungen an Agamen in Kenia, Tansania, Malawi, Südafrika und Namibia. Iguana 26 (1): 23-33
  • Jesus, José, António Brehm and D. James Harris. 2006. Phylogenetic relationships of Lygodactylus geckos from the Gulf of Guinea islands: Rapid rates of mitochondrial DNA sequence evolution? The Herpetological Journal 16 (3):291-295 - get paper here
  • Klitscher, Tom. 2014. Herpetologische Beobachtungen in Sambia, Simbabwe, Malawi und Tansania. Sauria 36 (1): 3-8 - get paper here
  • Kowalski, Thomas & Wolfgang Grossmann 2022. Lygodactylus picturatus picturatus (Peters, 1870 Sauria 44 (4): 1-2
  • Kunz, K. 2012. Kleine Tiere, kleine Terarrien, großer Anspruch: Nano-Terraristik!. Reptilia (Münster) 17 (97): 22-31 - get paper here
  • Lantermann, W. & Lantermann, Y. 2009. Herpetologische Reiseeindrücke aus den Ost-Usambara-Bergen in Tanzania. Elaphe 17 (2): 53-61
  • Largen, M.J.; Spawls, S. 2010. Amphibians and Reptiles of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Edition Chimaira, Frankfurt, 694 pp.
  • Lobon-Rovira, J., & Bauer, A. 2021. Bone-by-bone: A detailed skull description of the White-headed dwarf gecko Lygodactylus picturatus (Peters, 1870). African Journal of Herpetology, 1-20 - get paper here
  • Lobón-Rovira, J., Marugán-Lobón, J., Nebreda, S. M., Buckley, D., Stanley, E. L., Köhnk, S., ... & Bauer, A. M. 2024. Adaptive or non-adaptive? Cranial evolution in a radiation of miniaturized day geckos. BMC Ecology and Evolution, 24(1), 1-17
  • Loveridge, A. 1920. Notes on East African lizards collected 1915-1919, with description of a new genus and species of skink and new subspecies of gecko. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1920: 131-167 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1923. Notes on East African lizards collected 1920-1923 with the description of two new races of Agama lionotus Blgr. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1923: 935-969 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1935. New geckos of the genus Lygodactylus from Somaliland, Sudan, Kenya, and Tanganyika. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 48:195-200. - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1936. African reptiles and amphibians in the Field Museum of Natural History. Zool. Ser. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Chicago, 22 (1): 1-122 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1947. Revision of the African lizards of the family Gekkondiae. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 98: 1-469 - get paper here
  • Loveridge, A. 1953. Zoological Results of a fifth expedition to East Africa. III. Reptiles from Nyasaland and Tete. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 110 (3): 142-322. - get paper here
  • Lyakurwa, J., Loader, S., Ngalason, W., Gumbs, R., Ofori-Boateng, C. and Liedtke, H. 2024. Kimboza, a Small Lowland Forest With an Outstanding Herpetofauna Diversity in East Africa. Ecol Evol, 14: e70406 - get paper here
  • Maderson, P.F.A. 1968. The Epidermal glands of Lygodactylus (Gekkonidae, Lacertilia). Breviora (288): 1-35 - get paper here
  • MALONZA, PATRICK K.; AARON M. BAUER, CAROLINA GRANTHON, DEAN A. WILLIAMS, DAVID WOJNOWSKI 2019. A new species of gecko of the genus Lygodactylus (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from southeastern Kenya. Zootaxa 4609 (2): 308–320 - get paper here
  • Malonza, Patrick K.; David M. Mulwa, Joash O. Nyamache, Georgina Jones 2017. Biogeography of the Shimba Hills ecosystem herpetofauna in Kenya. Zoological Research 38(5): 1-11 - get paper here
  • Malonza, Patrick K.; Victor D. Wasonga, Vincent Muchai , Damaris Rotich, Beryl A. Bwong; A.M. Bauer 2006. DIVERSITY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY OF HERPETOFAUNA OF THE TANA RIVER PRIMATE NATIONAL RESERVE, KENYA. Journal of East African Natural History 95(2): 95–109 - get paper here
  • Malonza, Vincent; Beryl A. Bwong, Vincent Muchai 2011. Kitobo Forest of Kenya, a unique hotspot of herpetofaunal divers. Acta Herpetologica 6 (2): 149-160 - get paper here
  • Meerman, J.C. 1979. Enkele herpetologische waarnemingen in Tanzania. Lacerta 37 (10-11): 154-163 - get paper here
  • Parker, H. W. 1942. The lizards of British Somaliland. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harvard 91: 1—101 - get paper here
  • Pasteur,G. 1964. Recherches sur l'évolution des lygodactyles, lézards Afro-Malagaches actuels. Trav. Inst. Scient. Chérif., Ser. Zool., No. 29: 1-132 [1965]
  • Peters, W.C.H. 1868. Über eine neue Nagergattung, Chiropodomys penicullatus, sowie über einige neue oder weniger bekannte Amphibien und Fische. M. Ber. k. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1868 : 448-461 - get paper here
  • Peters,W.C.H. 1870. Eine Mitteilung über neue Amphibien (Hemidactylus, Urosaura, Tropidolepisma, Geophis, Uriechis, Scaphiophis, Hoplocephlaus, Rana, Entomogossus, Cystignathus, Hylodes, Arthroleptis, Phyllobates, Cophomantis) des Königlich-zoologischen Museums. Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. Berlin 1870: 641-652 - get paper here
  • PORTIK, DANIEL M.; SCOTT L. TRAVERS, AARON M. BAUER, WILLIAM R. BRANCH 2013. A new species of Lygodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) endemic to Mount Namuli, an isolated ‘sky island’ of northern Mozambique. Zootaxa 3710 (5): 415–435 - get paper here
  • Röll, B. 2004. Lygodactylus luteopicturatus PASTEUR 1965 [1964]: ein Synonym von Lygodactylus picturatus (PETERS 1870) (Sauria: Gekkonidae). Sauria, Berlin 26 (1): 31-35 - get paper here
  • Röll, B. 2004. Tagaktive Zwerggeckos aus Afrika und Madagaskar: die Gattung Lygodactylus. Draco 5 (18): 18-27 - get paper here
  • Röll, B. 2004. Zwerggeckos - Lygodactylus. Natur und Tier Verlag (Münster), 64 pp. - get paper here
  • Röll, B. 2013. Tagaktive Zwerggeckos der Gattung Lygodactylus - Lebensweise - Haltung - Nachzucht. Natur und Tier Verlag, 118 pp. - get paper here
  • Röll, B. 2018. Tagaktive, kleine Geckos – die Gattung Lygodactylus. Reptilia 23 (132): 16-23
  • Röll, Beate 1994. Lygodactylus picturatus (Peters, 1870). Sauria 16 (3) Suppl.: 307-310 - get paper here
  • Röll, Beate 2002. Delightful Dwarfs: Diurnal Geckos of the Genus Lygodactylus. Gekko 3 (2): 21-33
  • Röll, Beate; Heike Pröhl, Klaus-Peter Hoffmann 2010. Multigene phylogenetic analysis of Lygodactylus dwarf geckos (Squamata: Gekkonidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 56 (1): 327-335 - get paper here
  • Rösler, H. 2000. Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha). Gekkota 2: 28-153
  • Rösler, H. 2000. Studien an den Begattungsorganen der Geckos (Reptilia: Gekkota) - 2. Die Hemipenismorphologie von Lygodactylus GRAY 1864 (Gekkonidae: Gekkoninae). Gekkota 2: 208-219
  • Rösler, H. 2018. Haftbar -- Die einzigartige Welt der Geckos. Begleitheft zur Ausstellung im Naturkundemuseum Erfurt Mai-Aug 2018, 96 pp.
  • Spawls, S. & Rotich, D. 1997. An annotated checklist of the lizards of Kenya. J. East African Nat. Hist. 86: 61-83
  • Spawls, S.; Howell, K.; Drewes, R.C. & Ashe, J. 2002. A field guide to the reptiles of East Africa. Academic Press, 543 pp. [reviews in HR 34: 396 and Afr. J. Herp. 51; 147] - get paper here
  • Spawls, Stephen; Tomáš Mazuch & Abubakr Mohammad 2023. Handbook of Amphibians and Reptiles of North-east Africa. Bloomsbury, 640 pp. - get paper here
  • Spawls, Steve; Kim Howell, Harald Hinkel, Michele Menegon 2018. Field Guide to East African Reptiles. Bloomsbury, 624 pp. - get paper here
  • Sternfeld, R. 1917. Reptilia und Amphibia. In: Schubotz, H. (Hrsg.): Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Zweiten Deutschen Zentral-Afrika-Expedition, 1910-1911 unter Führung Adolph Friedrichs, Herzog zu Mecklenburg. Leipzig: Klinkhardt & Biermann, [Band] 1, Zoologie, Lieferung 11; S. 407-510. - get paper here
  • Tornier,G. 1897. Die Kriechthiere Deutsch-Ostafrikas. Beiträge zur Systematik und Descendenzlehre. D. Reimer, Berlin, 164 pp. - get paper here
  • Uetz, P.H.; Patel, M.; Gbadamosi, Z.; Nguyen, A.; Shoope, S. 2024. A Reference Database of Reptile Images. Taxonomy 4: 723–732 - get paper here
 
External links  
Is it interesting? Share with others:

As link to this species use URL address:

https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lygodactylus&species=picturatus

without field 'search_param'. Field 'search_param' is used for browsing search result.



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator