Afroedura nivaria
Drakensberg Flat Gecko
Alternative Names
Mountain Flat Gecko (English)
Drakensberg Platgeitjie (Afrikaans)
Species: Afroedura nivaria (Boulenger, 1894)
Distribution: Lesotho; South Africa
Distribution extended: The presence of the species in Lesotho (Sehlabathebe National Park) should be investigated.
Type Locality: “Summit of Drakensberg Range, Natal.”
Habitat: Grasslands
Habitat extended: Rocky sandstone outcrops and cliffs
Natural History: Rupicolous (rock-dwelling) species, seeking refuge in tight crevices or underneath rocks. They are primarily nocturnal and feed on insects and likely other arthropods. They exhibit synanthropic behaviour, found on the sides of houses and other structures
Biology: Oviparous (2 eggs), that are laid in the crevices of rocks, underneath flakes, and between boulders.
Conservation Status: According to the IUCN Red List, this species is classified as "Least Concern," indicating that it is not currently considered to be at high risk of extinction.
Additional reading
The Reptile Database - (See here)
IUCN Red List - (See here)
iNaturalist - (See here)
LITERATURE
Ambrose D. 2006. Lesotho Annotated Bibliography Section 166: Reptiles Including Annotated Checklist. Mamhlongo Productions, Roma. pp 21.
Bates, M. F. (1989). The flat geckos of Thaba Phatshwa mountain. Culna, 1989(36), 33-35.
Bates, M. F. (1991). A provisional check list of the reptiles and amphibians of Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Koedoe, 34(2), 153-155.
Bates, M. F. (1996). In search of the elusive flat geckos of the eastern Free State. Culna, 1996(51), 13-15.
Broadley, D. G. (1962). The herpetofauna of the Cathedral Peak area of the Natal Drakensberg. The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Rhodesia, 19(1), 20-22.
Boulenger, G.A., 1894. Exhibition of, and remarks upon, a specimen of a new gecko from South Africa (Oedura nivaria). Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1894, 608–609.
Bourquin, O. (1989). Herpetofauna in the Natal Parks Board reserves and resorts. The Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa, 36(1), 19-25.
De Waal, S. W. P. (1977). The Squamata (Reptilia) of the Orange Free State, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation).
Jacobsen NH, Kuhn AL, Kuhn AL, Jackman TR, Bauer AM. 2014. A phylogenetic analysis of the southern African gecko genus Afroedura Loveridge (Squamata: Gekkonidae), with the description of nine new species from Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa. Zootaxa 5;3846(4):451-501. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3846.4.1
Kopij, G. (2017). Lower vertebrates of Sehlabathebe National Park, Lesotho. Biosystems Diversity, 25(4), 312-317.
Makhubo, B. G., Tolley, K. A., & Bates, M. F. (2015). Molecular phylogeny of the Afroedura nivaria (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) species complex in South Africa provides insight on cryptic speciation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 82, 31-42.