NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Blanford’s Semaphore Gecko
Pristurus rupestris Blanford, 1874
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Rock semaphore gecko (Pristurus rupestris) at Zighy Bay in the Musandam Peninsula, Oman
Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
Pristurus rupestris, also known as the rock semaphore gecko, Blanford's semaphore gecko, and Persia rock gecko, is a species of gecko in the genus Pristurus which inhabits parts of Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, and Eritrea. This species lives in stony formations, mainly in flat, hard, sandy, barren regions and gravelly plains. It also lives in open, dry forest and bushland. It can be found under stones, on the walls of buildings, and on beaches. It is an egg-laying species.
Wikipedia contributors, Pristurus rupestris; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:35:25.514507+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pristurus rupestris Blanford, 1874
- Name authority
- Blanford, 1874
- Common name
- Blanford’s Semaphore Gecko
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Sphaerodactylidae
- Genus
- Pristurus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderGekkota
- familySphaerodactylidae
- genusPristurus
- speciesPristurus rupestris Blanford, 1874
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pristurus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Pristurus adrarensis Geniez & Arnold, 2006 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Gallagher’s Rock GeckoPristurus gallagheri Arnold, 1986 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Blanford's Rock GeckoPristurus insignis Blanford, 1881 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Arnold's Rock GeckoPristurus minimus Arnold, 1977 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Mangrove semaphore geckoPristurus obsti Rösler & Wranik, 1999 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Birdhead Rock GeckoPristurus ornithocephalus Arnold, 1986 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Somai Rock GeckoPristurus phillipsii Boulenger, 1895 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yemen Rock GeckoPristurus saada Arnold, 1986 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pristurus samhaensis Rösler & Wranik, 1999 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Pristurus schneideri Rösler, Köhler & Böhme, 2008 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Socotra Rock GeckoPristurus sokotranus Parker, 1938 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Somali Semaphore GeckoPristurus somalicus Parker, 1932 | SphaerodactylidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pristurus rupestris iranicus Schmidt, 1952 Schmidt, 1952 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Pristurus&species=rupestris Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4MKPD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.