Vital Statistics
- Name
- Spotted Thick-Toed Gecko or Spotted Gecko [Pachydactylus maculates]
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Gekkonidae
- Length_F
- 58 mm
- Length_M
- 48 mm
Description
A small, gentle gecko with a fat body and a rounded snout. The back is grey to greyish-brown, with 4 rows of elongated, blackish spots that are not white-edged and occasionally fuse into irregular crossbands. The belly is off-white in colour.
Distribution
Inland escarpment of Cape from Sutherland, and coastal region from Knysna through Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal, to Swaziland and extreme South Eastern Mpumalanga; one record from adjacent Mozambique.
Breeding
Females are gravid from September - February and lay 2 - 3 clutches, each consisting of 2 hard-shelled eggs. Incubation takes 100 -120 days.
Diet
Small insects and spiders.
Field notes
The Spotted Gecko is one of the more common geckos of the more than 30 species in Southern Africa. These geckos are found in a range of habitats. |