Pristurus is a genus of geckos native to Arabia and Socotra Island as well as the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Species of Pristurus are commonly known as rock geckos .

The generic name Pristurus means "saw-tailed" in Latin.

Species and subspecies

The following species and subspecies are recognized:

• Pristurus abdelkuri Arnold, 1986 – Abdel Kuri rock gecko

• Pristurus adrarensis Geniez & Arnold, 2006

Pristurus carteri (Gray, 1863) – Carter's rock gecko, Carter's semaphore gecko

• Pristurus carteri carteri (Gray, 1863)

• Pristurus carteri tuberculatus Parker, 1931

• Pristurus celerrimus Arnold, 1977 – Oman rock gecko, bar-tailed semaphore gecko

• Pristurus collaris (Steindachner, 1867) – collared rock gecko

• Pristurus crucifer (Valenciennes, 1861) – Valenciennes rock gecko, cross-marked semaphore gecko

• Pristurus flavipunctatus Rüppell, 1835 – Middle Eastern rock gecko, Rüppell's semaphore gecko

• Pristurus gallagheri Arnold, 1986 – Gallagher's rock gecko, Wadi Kharrar rock gecko

• Pristurus guichardi Arnold, 1986 – Guichard's rock gecko

• Pristurus insignis Blanford, 1881 – Blanford's rock gecko

• Pristurus insignoides Arnold, 1986 – Haggier Massif rock gecko

• Pristurus longipes W. Peters, 1871 – Peters's rock gecko

• Pristurus masirahensis Tamar, Mitsi, Simó-Riudalbas, Tejero-Cicuéndez, Al-Sariri & Carranza, 2019

• Pristurus mazbah Al-Safadi, 1989

• Pristurus minimus Arnold, 1977 – Arnold's rock gecko, least semaphore gecko

• Pristurus obsti Rösler & Wranik, 1999 – mangrove semaphore gecko

• Pristurus ornithocephalus Arnold, 1986 – birdhead rock gecko

• Pristurus phillipsii Boulenger, 1895 – Somali rock gecko

• Pristurus popovi Arnold, 1982 – Saudi rock gecko

Pristurus rupestris Blanford, 1874 – Persia rock gecko, rock semaphore gecko, Blanford's semaphore gecko

• Pristurus rupestris guweirensis G. Haas, 1943

• Pristurus rupestris iranicus K.P. Schmidt, 1952 – Iranian rock gecko

• Pristurus rupestris rupestris Blanford, 1874

• Pristurus saada Arnold, 1986 – Yemen rock gecko

• Pristurus samhaensis Rösler & Wranik, 1999

• Pristurus schneideri Rösler, J. Köhler & Böhme, 2008

• Pristurus simonettai (Lanza & Sassi, 1968) – coastal rock gecko

• Pristurus sokotranus Parker, 1938 – Socotra rock gecko

• Pristurus somalicus Parker, 1932 – Somali rock gecko, Somali semaphore gecko

Nota bene: A binomial authority or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pristurus.

References

Further reading

• Arnold EN (1986). "New species of semaphore gecko (Pristurus: Gekkonidae) from Arabia and Socotra". Fauna of Saudi Arabia 8: 352-377.

• Boulenger GA (1885). Catalogue of the Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). Second Edition. Volume I. Geckonidæ, .... London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, printers). xii + 436 pp. + Plates I-XXXII. (Genus Pristurus, p.52).

• Rüppell E (1835). Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien gehörig: Amphibien. Frankfurt am Main: S. Schmerber. 34 pp. (Pristurus, new genus, p.16). (in German).