Anderson's Short-fingered Gecko

Open encyclopedia reference

Stenodactylus petrii, known as the dune gecko, Anderson's short-fingered gecko, or Egyptian sand gecko, is a small, mostly nocturnal gecko of the genus Stenodactylus. It is not a frog-eyed gecko. They are found across northern Africa and in Israel in arid regions. From head to base of tail, they are about 2–3 inches (5–8 cm) long, a very small dwarf gecko. The tails are quite long compared to their size, 1–2 inches (3–5 cm). If a tail is dropped, it will grow back, only shorter and stubbier. Unlike other geckos, dune geckos cannot climb up smooth surfaces. Instead, they prefer to dig. During the day, they usually hide in burrows or in caves, though often these are out and about in the day. They sometimes appear slow, but they can be extremely fast. Camouflage in the sand helps them remain inconspicuous, especially when hunting. They eat mainly crickets and mealworms. The dune gecko, if kept as a pet, should not be handled too often because it stresses them out and can cause severe health problems.

Wikipedia contributors, Stenodactylus petrii; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:18:40.975685+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Stenodactylus petrii Anderson, 1896

Name authority

Anderson, 1896

Common name

Anderson's Short-fingered Gecko

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Family

Gekkonidae

Genus

Stenodactylus

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.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
10. suborderGekkota
11. familyGekkonidae
12. genusStenodactylus
13. speciesStenodactylus petrii Anderson, 1896

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Stenodactylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 1,242 records assigned to Gekkonidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

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.

1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Stenodactylus&species=petrii 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:4ZXW6. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.