Ptenopus is a small genus of lizards, known commonly as barking geckos, in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to southern Africa. There are only three described species in this genus.
Species and subspecies
The following species and subspecies are recognized as being valid.
thumb|left|Common barking gecko, P. garrulus. Note the fringed toes and the regenerated tip to the tail.
thumb|left|P. garrulus, barking
Description
The genus Ptenopus is in several ways atypical of the family Gekkonidae. The toes have neither pads nor expanded tips; instead they have well-developed claws and they are fringed with comb-like scales that assist in rapid motion over sand, and perhaps in digging.
<br>The name Ptenopus is from classical Greek and means "feather-foot", referring to the fringes on the toes.
In build the body and tail are only moderately plump, roughly cylindrical without special frills. The tail tapers to a point, but as is common among geckos, it commonly has been partly shed by the time the animal is fully grown, and the distal part commonly is a regenerated replacement. The animal is of modest size for a gecko, typically in body length. The head plus tail add about a similar length, so that a typical specimen might measure roughly in total length. As in most geckos, the tail commonly is swollen with fat stores, but not as much so as most species, such as say, in the genera Chondrodactylus and Pachydactylus.