You are here » home › search results › Lygodactylus capensis

Lygodactylus capensis (SMITH, 1849)

iNaturalist logo

Can you confirm these amateur observations of Lygodactylus capensis?

Add your own observation of
Lygodactylus capensis »

Find more photos by Google images search: Google images

Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Common Dwarf Gecko, Cape Dwarf Gecko 
SynonymHemidactylus capensis SMITH 1849: 75
Lygodactylus strigatus — GRAY 1864: 381
Lygodactylus capensis — BOULENGER 1885: 160
Lygodactylus capensis — BOCAGE 1895: 15
Lygodactylus capensis — KLUGE 1993
Lygodactylus capensis — RÖSLER 1995: 130
Lygodactylus (Lygodactylus) capensis capensis — RÖSLER 2000: 92
Lygodactylus capensis capensis — BARTS et al. 2005
Lygodactylus capensis — RÖLL et al. 2010
Lygodactylus capensis capensis — PIETERSEN et al. 2013
Lygodactylus capensis capensis — BATES et al. 2014: 118
Lygodactylus capensis — SPAWLS et al. 2018: 102
Lygodactylus capensis capensis — BATES 2018 
DistributionKenya, Republic of South Africa (Bechuanaland), Swaziland,
S Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Zambia,
Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Island Pemba

Type locality: “Kaffirland and the districts to the north of Cape Colony”  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesType: BMNH 1864.1.9.29 (and possibly additional specimens). 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Lygodactylus species are tiny to small geckos, ranging in size from approximately 20–40 mm in adult maximum SVL. Lygodactylus species are fairly gracile with a short and usually cylindrical body form. As in all gekkonids, eyelids do not function. Most species are cryptic shades ranging from brown to slate, often with dark spots or stripes, but a few African species are vibrant shades of yellow and turquoise, and some Malagasy species have bright yellow undersides. Species of Lygodactylus are distinguished from other geckos by the following combination of characteristics: hyoid without second ceratobranchial cartilages; 14 scleral ossicles; stapedial foramen present; frontal single and parietal paired; cloacal bones absent; phalangeal formula usually 2-3-4-5-3/2-3-4-5-4 (manus/pes); Lygodactylus-type paraphalangeal elements present; eye with round pupil; digits of extremely variable length, with digit I often vestigial and/or without claw; digits II-V with broadened pads and distal clawed terminal phalanges arising from the tips of the padsl claws are retractable; pads with adhesive lamellae that are usually divided; dorsal scalation consists of small, uniform, smooth granules; preanal pores usually present; tail fairly long and narrow, tapering, with scansors on underside of tip; females lay two hard-shelled eggs (Loveridge 1947, Kluge 1967, Russell and Bauer 2008, Puente et al. 2009).


Additional details (99 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentSubspecies: Lygodactylus capensis grotei is now considered as a valid species.

Type species: Hemidactylus capensis SMITH 1849 is the type species of the genus Lygodactylus GRAY 1864.

Group: The L. capensis group includes the following species: angolensis, bernardi, bradfieldi, stevensoni, capensis, nyaneka, insularis, grotei, and pakenhami (fide Röll et al. 2023). Röll et al. 2023: 238 also provide a comparison with key morphological characters across the group.

Phylogenetics: see Mezzasalma et al. 2016 and gippner et al. 2021 for a molecular phylogeny of Lygodactylus.

Key: Marques et al. 2020: 346 present a key to the Lygodactylus of Angola. Loveridge 1947: 196 presents a key and a table of key characters of the African species of Lygodactylus. Puente et al. 2009 present a key to the species of Lygodactylus in Madagascar.

Karyotype: see Mezzasalma et al. 2016.

Distribution: L. capensis spread from its native areas in NE South Africa to much of the south coast by invasion (Rebelo et al. 2019).

Diet: a large percentage of the diet of this species (30-50%) consists of ants (Lucas et al. 2023). 
EtymologyNamed after the type locality, the Cape colony.

The genus was probably named after Greek lygoi (λύγοι), pliant twigs of willow (used for binding or plaiting), and Greek dactylos = finger. 
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.
  • Barts, M.; Hulbert, F. & Haacke, W.D. 2005. Beobachtungen zur Eignung abgestorbener Aloe marlothii als Unterschlupf für Echsen im nordöstlichen Südafrika. Sauria 27 (1): 15-17 - get paper here
  • Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R., Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M., Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J. & de Villliers, M.S. (eds.) 2014. Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Suricata 1. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria, 512 pp.
  • Bates, Michael F. 2018. Catalogue of reptiles from Mozambique in the collection of the National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa. Indago 34 (2): 135–147
  • Bittencourt-Silva GB, Bayliss J, Conradie W. 2020. First herpetological surveys of Mount Lico and Mount Socone, Mozambique. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 14(2) [General Section]: 198–217 (e247) - get paper here
  • Blerk, Daniel van; John Measey, James Baxter-Gilbert 2021. Predation by a Brown Widow Spider, Latrodectus geometricus (Koch, 1841), on a Common Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus capensis (Smith, 1849), with a review of the herpetofaunal diet of Latrodectus spiders. Herpetology Notes 14: 291-296 - get paper here
  • Bocage,J.V. du B. 1895. Herpétologie d'Angola et du Congo. Lisbon: Imprimerie Nationale, i-xx, 203 pp. - 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
  • Branch, W.R.; Haagner, G.V. 1993. Life History Notes - Lygodactylus capensis capensis. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (42): 35-35 - get paper here
  • Branch, W.R.; Rödel, M.-O. & Marais, J. 2005. Herpetological survey of the Niassa Game Reserve, northern Mozambique - Part I: Reptiles. Salamandra 41 (4): 195-214 - get paper here
  • Broadley, D. G. & HOWELL, K. M. 1991. A check list of the reptiles of Tanzania, with synoptic keys. Syntarsus 1: 1—70
  • Broadley, D.G. 1991. The Herpetofauna of Northern Mwinilunga Distr., Northw. Zambia. Arnoldia Zimbabwe 9 (37): 519-538
  • 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
  • Cavalcanti, Lucas B Q; Gabriel C Costa, Guarino R Colli, Eric R Pianka, Laurie J Vitt, Daniel O Mesquita 2023. Myrmecophagy in lizards: evolutionary and ecological implications. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2023;, zlad175, - get paper here
  • CONRADIE, W., DOUCETTE-RIISE, S., VANHOOYDONCK, B., ENGELBRECHT, H., MEASEY, G.J., & TOLLEY, K. 2011. Herpetological survey of Rooipoort Nature Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa. African Herp News (53): 35-41 - get paper here
  • CONRADIE, W., ENGELBRECHT, H., HERREL, A., MEASEY, G.J., NIELSEN, S.V., V ANHOOYDONCK, B., & TOLLEY, K.A. 2011. Reptile survey of Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, Limpopo Province - South Africa. African Herp News (55): 6-12 - get paper here
  • Douglas, R. M. 1990. Incidences of Homosciens and Homoinsciens Translocation in the Oranje Free State: Hemidactylus mabuia and Lygodactylus capensis. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (37): 55-56 - get paper here
  • Douglas, R.M. 1993. Life History Notes - Lygodactylus capensis capensis. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (42): 34-35 - get paper here
  • FitzSimons, V. 1932. Preliminary descriptions of new forms of South African Reptilia and Amphibia, from the Vernay-Lang Kalahari Expedition, 1930. Annals Transvaal Mus. 15 (1): 35-40 - get paper here
  • Fleming, Patricia A. and Philip W. Bateman 2012. Autotomy, Tail Regeneration and Jumping ability in Cape Dwarf Geckos (Lygodactylus capensis) (Gekkonidae). African Zoology 47 (1): 55-59 - get paper here
  • Fuchs, Niklas 2023. Unter Pflanzenökologen – ein Einblick in die Habitate und Herpetofauna des Krüger-Nationalparks in Südafrika. Elaphe 2024 (1): 44-
  • Gippner, Sven, Scott L Travers, Mark D Scherz, Timothy J Colston, Mariana L Lyra, Ashwini V Mohan, Malte Multzsch, Stuart V. Nielsen, Loïs Rancilhac, Frank Glaw, Aaron M. Bauer, Miguel Vences 2021. A Comprehensive Phylogeny of Dwarf Geckos of the Genus Lygodactylus, with Insights into Their Systematics and Morphological Variation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 107311 - get paper here
  • Gordon, C. E., Lerm, R. E., Allin, P., Greve, M., & Svenning, J. C. 2021. Elephant rewilding indirectly affects the abundance of an arboreal but not generalist savanna lizard. Biodiversity and Conservation, 1-15 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1864. Notes on some new lizards from south—eastern Africa, with the descriptions of several new species. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (3) 14: 380-384 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1864. Notes on some new lizards from south—eastern Africa, with the descriptions of several new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1864: 58—62. - get paper here
  • Haagner, G.V.; Branch, W.R. 1996. Geographical Distribution - Lygodactylus capensis capensis. African Herp News (25): 44-44 - get paper here
  • Haagner,G.V.; Branch,W.R. & Haagner,A.J.F. 2000. Notes on a collection of reptiles from Zambia and adjacent areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Annals of the Eastern Cape Museum 1: 1 – 25
  • Hawlitschek, O.; F. Glaw & D. Rödder 2012. Pemba – Herpetologische Fundgrube im Indischen Ozean. Reptilia (Münster) 17 (97): 97-109 - get paper here
  • HEINICKE, M. P. & A. M. BAUER. 2018. A NEW PROVINCIAL RECORD AND OTHER NOTEWORTHY RECORDS OF REPTILES IN THE WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA. African Herp News (67): 37 - get paper here
  • Herrmann, H.-W.; W.R. Branch 2013. Fifty years of herpetological research in the Namib Desert and Namibia with an updated and annotated species checklist. Journal of Arid Environments 93: 94–115 - get paper here
  • Hewitt, John 1911. Records of South African Lacertilia and Amphibia, Addenda and Corrigenda. Annals Transvaal Museum 3 (1): 42-55. - get paper here
  • JACOBSEN, N. H. G. 2012. Lygodactylus capensis capensis A. Smith, 1849. African Herp News (56): 37-38 - get paper here
  • Jacobsen, Niels H.G.; Errol W. Pietersen & Darren W. Pietersen 2010. A preliminary herpetological survey of the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary on the San Sebastian Peninsula, Vilankulo, Mozambique. Herpetology Notes 3: 181-193
  • 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
  • Jordaan, P.R., Steyl, J.C.A., Hanekom, C.C., Xander Combrink 2020. Fire-associated reptile mortality in Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa. Fire Ecol (2020) 16: 3 - get paper here
  • 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. 1941. New Geckos (Phelsuma and Lygodactylus), Snake (Lepotyphlops) and Frog (Phrynobarachits) from Pemba Island, East Africa. Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 54 (8): 175-178 - 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.V. 2017. Lygodactylus capensis (Cape Dwarf Gecko) Dermatophagy. Herpetological Review 48 (3): 652. - get paper here
  • Lyakurwa, J.V., Howell, K.M., Munishi, L.K., Treydte, A.C. 2019. Uzungwa Scarp Nature Forest Reserve; a unique hotspot for reptiles in Tanzania. Acta Herpetologica 14 (1): 3-14 - get paper here
  • Marques MP, CerÍaco LMP, Buehler MD, Bandeira SA, Janota JM, Bauer AM 2020. A revision of the Dwarf Geckos, genus Lygodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), from Angola, with the description of three new species. Zootaxa 4853 (3): 301–352 - get paper here
  • Marques, Mariana P.; Luis M. P. Ceríaco , David C. Blackburn , and Aaron M. Bauer 2018. Diversity and Distribution of the Amphibians and Terrestrial Reptiles of Angola -- Atlas of Historical and Bibliographic Records (1840–2017). Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (Ser. 4) 65: 1-501 (Supplement II)
  • Mezzasalma M., Andreone F., Aprea G., Glaw F., Odierna G., Guarino F. M. 2016. Molecular phylogeny, biogeography and chromosome evolution of Malagasy dwarf geckos of the genus Lygodactylus (Squamata, Gekkonidae). Zoologica Scripta 46: 42–54, DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12188 - get paper here
  • Monard, ALBERT 1937. Contribution à l'herpétologie d'Angola. Arq. Mus. Bocage, Lisbon 8:19-153.
  • Perry, Gad 2022. The Black Mambas of the Balule Nature Reserve and Other Notes on the Limpopo Region of Southern Africa. REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS 29: 17–24
  • Pianka, Eric R. 1971. Lizard species density in the Kalahari Desert. Ecology 52 (6): 1024-1029 - get paper here
  • Pietersen, Darren W. Pietersen, Errol W. Haacke, Wulf D. 2013. First herpetological appraisal of the Parque Nacional de Banhine, Gaza Province, southern Mozambique. Annals of the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History 3: 153-163 - get paper here
  • Pietersen, Darren, Verburgt, Luke & Davies, John 2021. Snakes and other reptiles of Zambia and Malawi. Struik Nature / Penguin Random House South Africa, 376 pp., ISBN 9781775847373
  • 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
  • Rebelo, Alexander Douglas; Michael Francis Bates, Marius Burger, William Roy Branch, Werner Conradie 2019. Range expansion of the Common Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus capensis: South Africa’s most successful reptile invader. Herpetology Notes 12: 643-650 - get paper here
  • Röll, B. 2000. Lygodactylus capensis (A. SMITH, 1849). Sauria 22 (3) Suppl.: 487-490 - 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, B., SANCHEZ, M., GIPPNER, S., BAUER, A. M., TRAVERS, S. L., GLAW, F., ... & VENCES, M. 2023. Phylogeny of dwarf geckos of the genus Lygodactylus (Gekkonidae) in the Western Indian Ocean. Zootaxa 5311 (2): 232-250 - get paper here
  • Röll, Beate 2002. Delightful Dwarfs: Diurnal Geckos of the Genus Lygodactylus. Gekko 3 (2): 21-33
  • Roll, Beate. 2005. Variability in a common species: The Lygodactylus capensis complex from Southern and Eastern Africa (Reptilia, Gekkonidae). In: African Biodiversity: Molecules, Organisms, Ecosystems, edited by Bernhard A. Huber, Bradley J. Sinclair, and Karl-Heinz L Springer, USA - get paper here
  • 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, Herbert 1995. Geckos der Welt - Alle Gattungen. Urania, Leipzig, 256 pp.
  • Schleicher, Alfred 2020. Reptiles of Namibia. Kuiseb Publishers, Windhoek, Namibia, 271 pp.
  • Schönecker, P. 2014. Südafrika. Auf Reptiliensuche entlang der Garden Route. Reptilia (Münster) 19 (105): 80-93
  • Smith, A. 1848. Illustrations of the zoology of South Africa, Reptilia. Smith, Elder, and Co., London - get paper here
  • 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, Steve; Kim Howell, Harald Hinkel, Michele Menegon 2018. Field Guide to East African Reptiles. Bloomsbury, 624 pp. - get paper here
  • Sternfeld, R. 1911. Zur Herpetologie Südostafrikas. Mitteilung aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin, 5: 413-420. - get paper here
  • Tolley KA, Telford NS, Makhubo BG, Power RJ, Alexander GJ 2023. Filling the gap: Noteworthy herpetological discoveries in North West Province, South Africa. Zoosystematics and Evolution 99(1): 101-116 - get paper here
  • Venter, Jan A.; Werner Conradie 2015. A checklist of the reptiles and amphibians found in protected areas along the South African Wild Coast, with notes on conservation implications. Koedoe 57 (1): 1-25. doi: 10.4102/koedoe.v57i1.1247 - get paper here
  • WEINELL, J. L.; D. M. PORTIK & A. M. BAUER 2017. NOTEWORTHY RECORDS OF AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES FROM MOZAMBIQUE. African Herp News (65): 3-10 - get paper here
  • Witte, G. F. de 1933. Reptiles récoltés au Conge Belge par le Dr. H. Schouteden et par M. G.-F. Witte. Ann. Mus. Conge belge Zool. Ser. 1 Tome III: 53-100.
 
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=capensis

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



Please submit feedback about this entry to the curator