Ptenopus kenkenses BECKER, ALEXANDER & TOLLEY, 2025
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Ptenopus kenkenses?
Ptenopus kenkenses
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Ptenopus kenkenses BECKER, ALEXANDER & TOLLEY 2025: 307 Ptenopus garrulus maculatus – FITZSIMONS 1935: 525; (in part) Ptenopus garrulus maculatus – FITZSIMONS 1937b:160 (in part) Ptenopus garrulus maculatus – MERTENS 1971: 44 (in part) Ptenopus garrulus maculatus – HAACKE 1975: 225 (in part) Ptenopus garrulus (in part) – BRAIN 1962: fig. 3 (in part) |
| Distribution | Namibia (Karas Region) Type locality: farm Goris near Giants’ Playground, Karas Region, Namibia (–26.4538, 18.3097, 1106 m a.s.l.), |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. NMNW R11389, adult male, collected by Francois S. Becker and Bertha Buiswalelo on 27 September 2022. Paratypes. NMNW R10839 (adult female, allotype) and NMNW R10841 (adult male) collected from Koës, Karas Region, Namibia (-25.9364, 19.0869, 1000 m a.s.l.), by Francois S. Becker, Hileni Shivolo and Sisamu Baepi on 6 October 2020; NMNW R11388, adult male, with the same collection details as the holotype. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A medium-sized Ptenopus (SVL max. 58 mm, mean 51.3 mm, n = 10) with a short tail (TL 65% [range 60–72] of SVL, n = 7) and a stout appearance. It is distinguished from P. kochi, P. carpi, and P. sceletus sp. nov. by the following characters: Toes being intermediately fringed laterally (vs. weakly fringed in P. carpi and P. sceletus sp. nov. and extensively fringed in P. kochi); having MBSR ~162, range 158–169 (vs. >180 in P. kochi and <135 in P. carpi and P. sceletus sp. nov.); by dorsal colour pattern being characterised by large, paired, light, subsymmetrical ovoid markings interspaced with or dominated by dense, dark brown mottled patches (vs. more finely spotted pattern in P. kochi and banded pattern in P. carpi and P. sceletus sp. nov.). It is further distinct from P. carpi and P. sceletus sp. nov. by the nasals being more swollen and the nostrils partially covered by internal projections of the upper labials; from P. kochi by having fingers laterally fringed with pointed triangular scales (vs. elongated pointed scales in P. kochi) and having entire ventrum covered in white/cream ventral scales with some dark brown/grey specking (vs. pink, unpigmented patches on the limbs and tail of P. kochi). From congeners previously included in ‘P. garrulus’ it is distinguished by: Having a generally smaller internasal scale with higher IN/INSBB (median 7.4, range 5.6–11.0, n = 12), than P. circumsyrticus sp. nov. (usually <5.6); having a broader rostral with higher RB/RH (median 1.21, range 0.98–1.42, n = 12) than P. australis sp. nov. (<0.98); having generally higher MBSR (≥147) than P. australis sp. nov., P. circumsyrticus sp. nov., and P. maculatus (usually <147 except some P. circumsyrticus sp. nov.); having 2 or fewer internasal scales in contact with the rostral, while P. australis sp. nov. has three; colour pattern distinct from P. garrulus in having 4–5 large and distinctive paired, light, ovoid markings interspaced by distinct dark mottled patches usually touching the light markings (vs. more rows of and smaller white spots and overall more speckled pattern in P. garrulus), and ovoid patterning on ventro-lateral portions of the face being more distinctive (vs. indistinct or absent in P. garrulus). (Becker 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 3591 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Distribution: for a map see Becker et al. 2025: 289 (Fig. 5). |
| Etymology | Named after the Nama name for the gecko, “en’enses”, pronounced with two lateral clicks (produced by clicking with one’s tongue on the posterior-lateral roof of one’s mouth, similar to the typical command given for a horse to speed up), in reference to the clicking sound that it makes. The name is usually formed in the Nama female genitive, indicated by the suffix “s”, because the animal is small. Used as a noun in apposition. |
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