Abstract
Five species of primarily nocturnal geckos ( Ptenopus garrulus maculatu s, Chondrodactylus angulifer angulifer , Pachydactylus bibronii , P. mariquensis latirosths and P. punctatus ) collected near Keetmanshoop, South West Africa on the night of 3 October 1987 were found to contain large numbers of the harvester termite Hodotermes mossambicus . The mass of termites consumed ranged up to 61,1% of empty gecko body weight. Termite consumption of this magnitude and extensive above-ground foraging by large numbers of Ptenopus appear to be uncommon and probably reflect gecko usage of a large-scale Hodotermes foraging bout associated with the onset of the rainy season. The availability of such a concentrated food resource may be particularly important for vitellogenic female geckos.
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