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Ptenopus garrulus (SMITH, 1849)

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Higher TaxaGekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos)
SubspeciesPtenopus garrulus maculatus GRAY 1866
Ptenopus garrulus garrulus (A. SMITH 1849) 
Common NamesE: Whistling Gecko, Common Barking Gecko [garrulus]
E: Spotted Barking Gecko [maculatus] 
SynonymStenodactylus garrulous SMITH 1849
Ptenopus garrulus — BOULENGER 1885: 15
Ptenopus garrulus — BOETTGER 1886: 10
Ptenopus garrulus — HEWITT 1935: 305
Ptenopus garrulus — FITZSIMONS & BRAIN 1958
Ptenopus garrulus — HAACKE 1976
Ptenopus garrulus — KLUGE 1993
Ptenopus garrulus — RÖSLER 1995: 149
Ptenopus garrulus — BAUER 2013 (plates)
Ptenopus garrulus — SCHLEICHER 2020

Ptenopus garrulus garrulus (A. SMITH 1849)
Stenodactylus garrulous SMITH 1849
Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — FITZSIMONS 1935: 524
Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — LOVERIDGE 1947: 31
Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — AUERBACH 1987: 92
Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — RÖSLER 2000: 107
Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — BATES et al. 2014: 146
Ptenopus garrulus garrulus — BOURQUIN & GRUENER 2017

Ptenopus garrulus maculatus GRAY 1866
Ptenopus maculatus GRAY 1866: 640
Ptenopus maculatus — COPE 1869: 321
Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — FITZSIMONS 1935: 525
Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — LOVERIDGE 1947: 33
Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — WERMUTH 1965: 153
Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — HAACKE 1975
Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — BAUER et al. 1993
Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — BRANCH 1994
Ptenopus garrulus maculatus — BATES et al. 2014: 146 
DistributionRepublic of South Africa (S Little-Namaqualand, Cape Province), Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe

maculatus: Southwest Africa, southern Damaraland, Great Namaqualand, Nw Cape Province (= Little Namaqualand); Type locality: Damaraland, Southwest Africa

Type locality: Inland of South Africa.  
Reproductionoviparous 
TypesTypes: BMNH 1946.8.23.43-49 (and possibly additional specimens).
Syntypes: BMNH 1946.8.23.53-54 [maculatus] 
DiagnosisDiagnosis (genus): Ptenopus species midsized geckos, ranging in size from approximately 50–65 mm in adult maximum SVL. Ptenopus species are robust in body form, with notably large eyes and extremely short snouts. As in all gekkonids, eyelids do not fully function, but unlike other gekkonids, the eyelids are partially movable. The typical color pattern is muted tan, brown, or gray, usually with spots, reticulations, or bands. Species of Ptenopus are distinguished from other geckos by the following combination of characteristics: hyoid with second ceratobranchial cartilages; 15–17 scleral ossicles; stapedial foramen absent; frontal single and parietal paired; cloacal bones present; phalangeal formula 2-3-4-5-3/2-3-4-5-4 (manus/pes); paraphalangeal elements absent; eye with vertical pupil, with notched margins; digits free, not broadened into adhesive pads but with lateral fringes, prominently clawed; dorsal scalation relatively uniform, small granules; preanal pores absent; tail thick, cylindrical, tapering; females lay one or two hard-shelled eggs (Loveridge 1947, Kluge 1967, 1987, Kluge and Nussbaum 1995, Russell and Bauer 2008).


Additional details (2202 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. 
CommentType species: Ptenopus maculatus GRAY 1866 is the type species of the genus Ptenopus SMITH 1866: 640.

Key: Haacke 1964: 3 has a key to the species of Ptenopus.

Diet: a large percentage of the diet of this species (10-30%) consists of ants (Lucas et al. 2023). 
References
  • Auerbach, R.D. 1987. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Botswana. Mokwepa Consultants, Botswana, 295 pp.
  • Barts, Mirko 2018. Ein kleiner Reiseführer zu den Reptilien und Amphibien Namibias. Draco 16 (64): 6-23 [2015] - 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.
  • Bauer, A.M. 2013. Geckos - The Animal Answer Guide. Johns Hopkins University Press, 159 pp.
  • Bauer, A.M., and Branch, W.R. 2003. The herpetofauna of the Richtersveld National Park, Northern Cape Province, Republic of South Africa. Herpetological Natural History 8: 111-160 [2001]
  • Bauer, Aaron M.; Branch, William R. & Haacke, Wulf D. 1993. The herpetofauna of the Kamanjab area and adjacent Damaraland, Namibia. Madoqua (Windhoek) 18 (2): 117-145. - get paper here
  • Boettger, O. 1886. Beitrag zur Herpetologie und Malakozoologie Südwest-Afrikas. 1. Zur Kenntniss der Fauna von Angra Pequenia. Abh. senckenb. naturf. Ges. (Frankfurt) 1886: 3-29 - 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
  • BOURQUIN, O. & V. GRUENER 2017. A NOTE ON THE HERPETOFAUNA OF MODISA CAMP (BOTSWANA) AND ITS SURROUNDINGS. African Herp News (64): 9-26 - get paper here
  • Branch, William R. 1993. A Photographic Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Cape Town: Struik Publishers, 144 S.
  • Branch, William R. 1994. Herpetofauna of the Sperrgebeit [sic] Region of Southern Namibia. Herpetological Natural History 2 (1): 1-11.
  • Broadley,D.G. 1992. New distribution records for geckos from Western Beitbridge District, Zimbabwe. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa 41: 35 - 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
  • FitzSimons, V. F. 1935. Notes on a collection of reptiles and amphibians made in the Southern Kalahari, Bushmanland, and Great and Little Namaqualand. Annals Transvaal Mus., Pretoria 17: 519-550 - get paper here
  • Fitzsimons, V.F.M.; Brain, C.K. 1958. A Short account of the Reptiles of the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park. Koedoe, 1(1): 99-104 - get paper here
  • Giess, W. 1965. Chondrodactylus angulifer and Ptenopus garrulus from the Brandberg. Cimbebasia 12: 16-19
  • Girard, F. 1997. Life History Notes - Ptenopus garrulus maculatus. African Herp News (26): 24-25 - get paper here
  • Gray, J. E. 1866. Descriptions of two new genera of lizards from Damaraland. Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1865: 640-642 - get paper here
  • Haacke, W. D. 1998. Geographic Distribution. Ptenopus garrulus garrulus. African Herp News (27): 19-20. - get paper here
  • Haacke, W.D. 1975. The burrowing geckos of Southern Africa, 1 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Annals Transvaal Museum 29: 197-243 - get paper here
  • Haacke, W.D. 1976. The Burrowing Geckos of Southern Africa: 5. (Phylogetic and Taxonomic Affinities). Annals Transvaal Mus. 30 (6): 71-89 - get paper here
  • Haacke, W.D. 1998. Life History Notes - Ptenopus garrulus garrulus. African Herp News (27): 16-16 - 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, J. 1935. Some new forms of batrachians and reptiles from South Africa. Rec. Albany Mus. 4: 283-357
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  • Hibbits Toby J., Eric R. Pianka, Raymond B. Huey and Martin J. Whiting 2005. Ecology of the common Barking Gecko (Ptenopus garrulus) in Southern Africa. Journal of Herpetology 39 (3):509-515 - get paper here
  • Hibbitts, T.J., E.R. Pianka, R.B. Huey & M.J. Whiting 2005. Ecology of the Common Barking Gecko (Ptenopus garrulus) in Southern Africa Journal of Herpetology 39 (3): 509-515. - get paper here
  • Hibbitts, Toby J.; William E. Cooper, and Martin J. Whiting 2012. Spatial Distribution and Activity Patterns in African Barking Geckos: Implications for Mating System and Reproduction. Journal of Herpetology 46 (4): 456-460. - get paper here
  • Kubierske, H.; Ulber, T.; Haacke, W.D. 1993. Geographical Distribution - Ptenopus garrulus garrulus. J. Herp. Assoc. Africa (42): 40-41 - 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
  • MÜLLER-DOBLIES, U. 1993. Das Portrait: Ptenopus garrulus maculatus GRAY. Sauria 15 (2): 1-2 - get paper here
  • Pianka, Eric R. 1971. Lizard species density in the Kalahari Desert. Ecology 52 (6): 1024-1029 - get paper here
  • REBELO, A .D.; P. R. JORDAAN & W. CONRADIE 2018. Ptenopus garrulus maculatus (Gray, 1866). African Herp News (68): 50 - get paper here
  • Rösler, Herbert 1995. Geckos der Welt - Alle Gattungen. Urania, Leipzig, 256 pp.
  • Schleicher, Alfred 2015. Reptilien Namibias. Namibia Scientific  Society, 276 pp.
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  • Smith, A. 1849. Illustrations of the Zoology of South Africa. 3 (Reptiles). Smith, Elder, and Co., London [facsimile published by Winchester Press, Johannesburg, 1977] - get paper here
  • Stebbins, Robert C. 1961. Body temperature studies in South African lizards. Koedoe 4 (1): 54-67 - get paper here
  • Telford, N. S., ALEXANDER, G. J., BECKER, F. S., CONRADIE, W., JORDAAN, A., KEMP, L., ... & TOLLEY, K. A. 2022. EXTENSIONS TO THE KNOWN GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTIONS OF REPTILES IN THE GREAT KAROO, SOUTH AFRICA. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 17(1), 145-154 - get paper here
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