Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi, also known commonly as the button-scaled gecko, FitzSimons' thick-toed gecko,[2] Fitzsimons's thick-toed gecko, and FitzSimons' tubercled gecko,[1] is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southwestern Africa.
| Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Genus: | Chondrodactylus |
| Species: | C. fitzsimonsi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi (Loveridge, 1947)
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Etymology edit
The specific name, fitzsimonsi, is in honor of South African herpetologist Vivian Frederick Maynard FitzSimons.[3]
Geographic range edit
Description edit
C. fitzsimonsi is a large, heavy-bodied gecko. Adults average 6.5 to 8.5 cm (2.6 to 3.3 in) snout-to-vent length (SVL). The record size is a male 9.0 cm (3.5 in) SVL. Dorsally, it is olive-colored, with four or five dark undulating crossbands. Ventrally, it is white.[4]
Habitat edit
The preferred habitat of C. fitzsimonsi is rocky outcrops in arid savanna or in semidesert,[4] at altitudes of 20–1,000 m (66–3,281 ft).[1]
Reproduction edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Baptista N, Bauer AM, Becker F, Ceríaco LMP, Conradie W (2020). "Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi ". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T196908A12059549.en. Accessed on 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi ". The Reptile Database. Retrieved 2017-11-11.
- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. ("FitzSimons, V.", p. 91).
- ^ a b Branch, Bill (2004). Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Sanibel Island, Florida: Ralph Curtis Books. 399 pp. ISBN 0-88359-042-5. (Pachydactylus fitzsimonsi, p. 255 + Plate 84).
Further reading edit
- Bauer AM, Lamb T (2005). "Phylogenetic relationships of southern African geckos in the Pachydactylus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae)". African Journal of Herpetology 54 (2): 105–129. (Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi, new combination).
- Heinz MD, Brennan IG, Jackman TR, Bauer AM (2021). "Phylogeny of the genus Chondrodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) with the establishment of a stable taxonomy". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology 163 (5): 151–210. (Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi, p. 180).
- Loveridge A (1947). "Revision of the African Lizards of the Family Gekkonidae". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoölogy at Harvard College 98 (1): 1–469. (Pachydactylus laevigatus fitzsimonsi, new name, pp. 400–401).
- Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota 2: 28–153. (Pachydactylus fitzsimonsi, p. 98). (in German).