NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Elegant gecko
Stenodactylus sthenodactylus (Lichtenstein, 1823)
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
Stenodactylus sthenodactylus, also known as the Lichtenstein's short-fingered gecko or elegant gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found in the Middle East (Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Saudi Arabia), throughout North Africa, marginally in West Africa (Mali), and in northern East Africa (Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, and Ethiopia). It is widespread and common but not abundant and is associated with semi-arid to hyperarid areas.
Wikipedia contributors, Stenodactylus sthenodactylus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:31:36.108185+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Stenodactylus sthenodactylus (Lichtenstein, 1823)
- Name authority
- (Lichtenstein, 1823)
- Common name
- Elegant 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.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
- orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
- suborderGekkota
- familyGekkonidae
- genusStenodactylus
- speciesStenodactylus sthenodactylus (Lichtenstein, 1823)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Stenodactylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Iranian Short-fingered GeckoStenodactylus affinis (Murray, 1884) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Jordan Short-fingered GeckoStenodactylus grandiceps Haas, 1952 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Stenodactylus mauritanicus Guichenot, 1850 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Stenodactylus stenurus Werner, 1899 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Yemen Short-fingered GeckoStenodactylus yemenensis Arnold, 1980 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Dune Sand GeckoStenodactylus doriae (Blanford, 1874) | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Anderson's Short-fingered GeckoStenodactylus petrii Anderson, 1896 | GekkonidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Slevin's Short-fingered GeckkoStenodactylus slevini Haas, 1957 | GekkonidaeChordata | 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 |
|---|---|
| Tolarenta wilkinsonii Gray, 1842 Gray, 1842 | synonym |
| Stenodactylus stenodactylus zavattari Scortecci, 1943 Scortecci, 1943 | synonym |
| Ascalabotes sthenodactylus Lichtenstein, 1823 Lichtenstein, 1823 | synonym |
| Garzoniella longipes Perret, 1976 Perret, 1976 | synonym |
| Stenodactylus elegans Fitzinger, 1826 Fitzinger, 1826 | synonym |
| Stenodactylus guttatus Cuvier, 1829 Cuvier, 1829 | synonym |
| Stenodactylus mauritanicus Guichenot, 1850 Guichenot, 1850 | ambiguous synonym |
| Trapelus savignyi Audouin, 1827 Audouin, 1827 | synonym |
| Stenodactylus cornaliae Scali, 2010 Scali, 2010 | 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=Stenodactylus&species=sthenodactylus 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:4ZXWF. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.