Pachydactylus sansteynae STEYN & MITCHELL, 1967
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Pachydactylus sansteynae
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Coastal Thick-toed Gecko, San Steyn’s gecko |
| Synonym | Pachydactylus serval sansteyni STEYN & MITCHELL 1967 Pachydactylus sansteyni — KLUGE 1993 Pachydactylus sansteyni — RÖSLER 2000: 99 Pachydactylus sansteynae — MICHELS & BAUER 2004 Pachydactylus sansteynae — BAUER & LAMB 2004 Pachydactylus sansteyni — DUBOIS 2007 (by implication) Pachydactylus sansteynae — MASHININI & MAHLANGU 2013 Pachydactylus sansteynae — SCHLEICHER 2020 |
| Distribution | Namibia (Swakopmund, Khorixas, Opuwo Districts; S Kaokoveld, Cuene-Fluá) Type locality: “the vicinity of Kuidas water-hole in the Southern Kaokoveld, (about 13°45′E., 20°38′S., elevation about 1200′)” |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: NMNW (= SMWN = SMW R1626 (State Museum, Windhoek); NMNW R 1626 (fide Bauer et al. 2006). Paratypes: CR, TM |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: To 48.0 mm SVL (TM 63377). Pachydactylus sansteynae is not a member of the P. serval/weberigroup, although it was initially described as a subspecies of P. serval (Steyn and Mitchell 1967). Dorsal pattern usually consisting of dark vermiculations, but may be spotted (e.g., TM 24983, 32849, 56998). Juvenile pattern as adult. It may be distinguished from P. serval, P. purcelli, P. montanus, P. kobosensis, P. carinatus, and P. griffiniby the presence of conical tubercles on the hind limbs and from all other members of the P. serval/weberi group by its rostral-nostril contact. In addition, P. sansteynae is characterized by an elongate head, a lack of tubercles on the interorbital and parietal regions, 14–16 rows of very small, keeled tubercles (usually evident only posterior of the axillae), typically 4 undivided lamellae beneath digit IV of the pes, and greatly enlarged cloacal spurs in males, consisting of four enlarged, pointed, sharp-edged scales (Figs. 119–121 in Bauer et al. 2006). |
| Comment | Nomenclature: Article 31.1.2 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (1999) states that “A species-group name, if a noun in the genitive case ... formed directly from a modern personal name, is to be formed by [...] -ae if of a woman.” Following Article 33.3.3 of the Code, Michels and Bauer (2004) emended the name to Pachydactylus sansteynae. |
| Etymology | This species was named for “Mrs. Steyn, in acknowledgement of her collecting and voluntary curatorial activities on behalf of the State Museum” (Steyn and Mitchell 1967:11). Willem Johannes Steyn (12 October 1926-26 June 1968) was working as the Director of the Alte Feste in Windhoek, Namibia and his wife, Susanna Magdalena Steyn (”San”, short for Susanna, born Du Toit) (31 March 1928-30 July 2020) helped him with “everything” (Cecilia Steyn, pers. comm., 1 Aug 2020). |
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