Added 8 October 2001.

A look at the

Subfamily GEKKONINAE - "True" Geckos

Family GEKKONIDAE



Genus COLOPUS - Kalahari Ground Gecko

Monotypic genus. Colopus is considered closely related to the Pachydactylus genus. I am not aware that any have been kept, let alone bred, in captivity outside of the Republic of South Africa. Branch has good details.

Scientific Name Common Name Distribution Size Notes
Colopus
C. wahlbergi Kalahari Ground Gecko Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana 4-5" Slender gecko with overlapping scales and somewhat reduced pads and claws. It is found on flat sandy plains with scattered vegetation (Branch), where it shelters among cover or in short burrows. There are no preanal or femoral pores, but females can be distinguished by the small hind claws. The dorsal coloration is a shade of orange or brown, and the belly is white. Diet consists of small insects.
C. w. wahlbergi Kalahari desert (N Cape to Caprivi strip) Distinguished most easily by single large pale dorsal blotches that may fuse in the centre. The head is somewhat rounded in comparison with C. w. furcifer.
C. w. furcifer W/SW Kalahari Head is more pointed in this subspecies: there is a dark-edged pale dorsal vertebral line that divides on the neck.


Bibliography

Field Guide to Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa, Bill Branch, Struik, Cape Town 1998.

 

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