Pachydactylus ovahimba PARRINHA, MARQUES, PICELLI, JORDAAN, BISHOP-SCHOUSTER, HEINICKE, BAUER & CERÍACO, 2025
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Pachydactylus ovahimba
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Himba Thick-Toed Gecko P: Osga de Dedos Grossos Himba |
| Synonym | Pachydactylus ovahimba PARRINHA, MARQUES, PICELLI, JORDAAN, BISHOP-SCHOUSTER, HEINICKE, BAUER & CERÍACO 2025: 420 Pachydactylus caraculicus — HAACKE 1970: 280 Pachydactylus caraculicus — BAUER et al. 1999: 3 Pachydactylus caraculicus — BAUER & LAMB 2005: 127 Pachydactylus caraculicus — BAUER 2010: 266 [part] Pachydactylus caraculicus — LOBÓN-ROVIRA et al. 2022: 301 |
| Distribution | Angola (Namibe) Type locality: Otchifengo, Namibe Province, Angola, -16.6850°, 12.8413°, 584 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. CAS 267398 (field number AMB 13068; Figs. 9– 10), adult female, L. M. P. Ceríaco, D. Parrinha, A. Picelli, and T. Umbelina, 19 June 2023. Paratypes: CAS 206980 (field number AMB 5988), adult female, 41.9 km N of Okangwati on Epupa Falls road, Kunene Region, Namibia, [in coordinates convert trailing “8” to °] –17.28338, 13.18338, 1,100 m, A. M. Bauer, A. C. Lamb, W. R. Branch, and J. L. Wright, 29 July 1998; CAS 267390 (field number AMB 13087), adult female, same locality and collectors as the holotype, 20 June 2023; CAS 267399 (field number AMB 13069), subadult male, same collecting data as the holotype; CAS 267400 (field number AMB 13070), adult female, same collecting data as the holotype; CAS 267401 (field number AMB 12071), adult female, same collecting data as the holotype; CAS 267404 (field number AMB 13074), subadult female, same collecting data as the holotype; CAS 267409 (field number AMB 13144), adult female, same locality as the holotype, D. Parrinha, A. Picelli, and T. Umbelino, 21 June 2023; CAS 267410 (field number AMB 13145), adult male, same locality as the holotype, D. Parrinha, A. Picelli, and T. Umbelino, 21 June 2023. Additional material.—Angola: Namibe Province: CAS 267402– 03, 267406–08, Otchifengo, –16.68508, 12.84138, 584 m; FKH 0803–07, JLRZC 0137 (fide Lobón-Rovira et al., 2022b), Mongo, –17.03988, 12.60108, 917 m; FKH 0808 (fide Lobón-Rovira et al., 2022b), Manaculama, –16.81938, 12.71888, 793 m. Namibia: Kunene Region: CAS 193799, NMNW/AMB 1689, 5991–93, 43.4 km N of Okangwati on Epupa Falls road, –17.25008, 13.23338, 992 m; CAS 193804, 193805, NMNW/AMB 1699, 44.3 km N of Okangwati on Epupa Falls road, –17.24178, 13.23338, 982 m; MCZ R-185767, 32 km S of Epupa Falls on Okangwati road, –17.23588, 13.22928, 975 m; MCZ R-190226, 190227, TM 71358–71, Epupa Falls, –17.00008 , 13.23338, 636 m; TM 22585, 22586, 38682–87, Swartboois Drift, –17.34408, 13.86538, 1,065 m; TM 32848, 32863, Ondjamu Mountain, –17.83338, 12.80008, 1,357 m; TM 34646, Enyandi, –17.15008, 13.53338, 702 m; TM 38971, Sanitatas, –18.23358 , 12.53158, 738 m; TM 48875, 37 km N of Sesfontein, –18.80928 , 13.76718 , 1,492 m; TM 71516, Bottom of Van Zyl’s Pass, –17.66758, 12.69418, 650 m. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A small, rupicolous Pachydactylus with a depressed body form and a maximum SVL of 39 mm (CAS 267408). Dorsum atuberculate, with smooth, flat, rounded and subimbricate granules. OrbD smaller than EyeEar. Rostral and first supralabial excluded from nostril rim. Tail segmented, with imbricate scalation. Prominent cloacal spurs in adult males, each formed by two enlarged scales. Interdigital webbing absent; digits free, with 3–4 subdigital lamellae. Dorsum brownish with white transverse bands, often faded and interspersed with black speckling in adults; pattern more contrasted in juveniles, with bright yellow bands on a dark purple brown to black background; three pale nuchal spots. Within the “northwestern” clade of Pachydactylus, P. ovahimba can be easily distinguished from P. angolensis, P. boehmei, P. gaiasensis, P. maiatoi, P. oerophilus, P. otaviensis, P. parascutatus, P. sansteynae, and P. scutatus by the absence of keeled, enlarged dorsal tubercles (vs. presence). It differs from P. bicolor, P. maraisi, P. namibensis, P. punctatus, and P. scherzi by having a dorsal pattern with well-defined pale crossbands and nuchal spots (vs. pattern spotted without transverse bands in P. maraisi and P. punctatus; dark and irregular without pale bands or spots in P. namibensis; and irregular crossbands or blotches in P. bicolor and P. scherzi). It further differs from P. punctatus in body shape (body more flattened vs. rounded in cross-section), having a segmented tail (vs. unsegmented), and cloacal spurs with only two scales (vs. 3–4); from P. scherzi in body shape (body more flattened vs. rounded in cross-section), having a segmented tail (vs. unsegmented), and by having the first supralabial excluded from nostril rim (vs. usually included); from P. maraisi by having imbricate scales on tail (vs. juxtaposed to subimbricate), fewer subdigital lamellae (3–4 vs. 5–7), and cloacal spurs with only two scales in males (vs. 4–5); from P. bicolor by having fewer subdigital lamellae (3–4 vs. 5); and from P. namibensis in body shape (body more flattened vs. rounded in cross-section), having a segmented tail (vs. unsegmented), rostral excluded from nostril rim (vs. included), and having distalmost subdigital lamellae divided (vs. undivided). It is most similar to its sister species, Pachydactylus caraculicus, from which it can be distinguished by having three pale nuchal spots (vs. two in P. caraculicus). (Parrinha et al. 2025) Unfortunately 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 5540 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Distribution: see map in Parrinha et al. 2025: 422 (Fig. 4). |
| Etymology | Named after the dominant ethnolinguistic group in the region where the species is known from. The OvaHimba are a semi-nomadic Herero people who inhabit the Kaokoveld of northwestern Namibia and southwestern Angola. |
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