The Cape Cross thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus kochii), also known commonly as Koch's gecko and Koch's thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to southern Africa.
Etymology The specific name, kochii, is in honor of Austrian-born South African entomologist Charles Koch.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (Colopus kochii, p. 144).
Geographic range P. kochii is found in Namibia and in South Africa (southern Namaqualand)."Pachydactylus kochii " The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
Habitat The preferred natural habitats of P. kochii are desert and savanna, at altitudes of .
Description Adults of P. kochii have a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The body is slender. Dorsally, the ground color is grayish with a lavender tinge, and there are five reddish-brown crossbands. Ventrally it is white.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. . (Pachydactylus kochii, p. 254 + Plate 80).
Behavior P. kochii is terrestrial. It shelters in burrows dug by other animals.
Reproduction P. kochii is oviparous.
References
Further reading 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. (Colopus kochii, new combination, p. 105). FitzSimons V (1959). "Some new reptiles from southern Africa and southern Angola". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 23: 405–409. (Pachydactylus kochii, new species, p. 405). Rösler H (1995). Geckos der Welt – Alle Gattungen [= Geckos of the World – All Genera ]. Leipzig: Urania. 256 pp. (Pachydactylus kochii, p. 136). (in German).