Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 59 
and has no peculiar genera), though one or two representatives of the latter 
extend southward into the sub-continent. The affinities of these endemic 
genera are as follows : the isolated genus Chondrodactylus is closely allied 
to the Nephrurus of Australia ; Phyllodactylus is very near the Madagascar 
genus Ebenavia, and in the same group with these is Oedura, which is 
Australian and South African, and two other genera belonging to Australia 
and Southern India respectively. 
The genera Pachydactylus, Colopus, Rhoptropus, Elasmodactylus, and 
Phelsuma (which, perhaps, includes Rhoptropus), constitute a distinct 
group of genera, the three former being South African, the fourth 
belonging to Lower Congo and British Namaqualand, whilst Phelsuma 
belongs to East Africa, Madagascar, and other islands of the Indian 
Ocean. Homopholis, belonging to South Africa, Abyssinia, and 
Madagascar, has generic relationships in Madagascar. 
The genus Lygodactylus, which has several species in tropical West 
Africa and in Madagascar, but only one species peculiar to South Africa, 
has its nearest ally in another Madagascar genus ; apparently the West 
African forms constitute a section of the genus distinct from that which 
includes the South African and Madagascar species. The genus Ptenopus 
has its nearest relative in Stenodactylus, a genus belonging to North 
Africa and South-West Asia. The isolated Palmatogecko is considered by 
the describer of this genus to be related to Ptenopus. 
It should be mentioned that the affinities above cited are taken from 
the classification employed by Mr. Boulenger in the B. M. catalogue, and 
this is based upon characters which are largely adaptative. I believe, 
however, that these relationships are for the most part quite true, for 
otherwise we should have to suppose that a process of convergent 
evolution has taken place in the case of a number of pairs of genera 
belonging to South Africa and Madagascar. And, again, it is a well 
known fact that geckos are particularly well adapted for accidental 
transportation over great distances, as they occur on many oceanic islands, 
so that this might be a partial explanation of the occurrence of South 
African genera and allies in Madagascar ; but this supposition loses value 
when we remember that many of the geckoes of South Africa are rather 
localized in distribution, and that, whilst South Africa and Madagascar 
have each a rich gecko fauna, only very few representatives of these 
faunas are found north of the equator. 
Agamidae. 
This family is represented in South Africa by about nine or ten 
species of the genus Agama. There are only three genera in the whole 
African region, and Madagascar has no representatives whatever of this 
family. 
The South African species, A. hispida, , its variety distant / , brachyura , 
aculeata , armata , pulchella , cvtra and holubi , constitute a structurally 
distinct association, the members of which are confined to South Africa, 
with the exception of armata , which extends up into Angola and German 
East Africa, and hispida , which is also known from German East Africa. 
A. kirki , mossambica , and planiceps found in the northern portions 
of the sub-continent and in tropical Africa belong to an association of 
tropical and North African species. 
A. atricollis , which occurs in German East Africa and Angola, 
extending southwards as far as Natal, has a near ally in Abyssinia and 
Arabia, and belongs to a section of species which are mostly found in 
Persia and North India. 
