Monica's gecko (Pachydactylus monicae), also known commonly as Monica's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to southern Africa.
Etymology The specific name, monicae, is in honor of Monica Frelow Bauer who is the wife of Aaron M. Bauer.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Pachydactylus monicae, p. 182).
Habitat Pachydactylus monicae is found in mesic microhabitats near rivers and adjacent rocky outcrops in arid habitats. P. monicae is generally found below elevations of 100 meters (328 feet), but also can be found on the lower slopes of mountains up to .
Geographic range Pachydactylus monicae is found in the Lüdertiz and Karasburg districts of Namibia and the most northwestern part of the Northern Cape in South Africa.Bates, M.F.; Branch, W.R.; Bauer, A.M.; Burger, M.; Marais, J.; Alexander, G.J.; de Villiers, M.S. (editors) (2014). Atlas and Red List of the Reptiles of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, Suricata 1. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI). 485 pp. (print), (CD).
Description Relatively large for its genus, Pachydactylus monicae may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of .
Reproduction Pachydactylus monicae is oviparous.
References
Further reading Barts, Mirko (2011). "The Thick-toed geckos of Southern Africa. Part XII. Pachydactylus monicae Bauer, Lamb & Branch, 2006". Sauria Terraristik und Herpetologie, Berlin 33 (2): 9–14. Bauer, Aaron M.; Lamb, Trip; Branch, William R. (2006). "A Revision of the Pachydactylus serval and P. weberi Groups (Reptilia: Gekkota: Gekkonidae) of Southern Africa, with the Description of Eight New Species". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Fourth Series 57 (23): 595–709. (Pachydactylus monicae, new species, pp. 664–667 + Figures 82–87 on pp. 634–637).