The Namib day geckos (genus Rhoptropus) are a specialised group of mostly rupicolous gekkonids endemic to the arid regions of western Namibia and southwestern Angola. Previously nine species and subspecies have been recognized on the basis of morphological, mitochondrial, and/or allozymic data. Until recently, political strife in Angola, where the majority of species have all or part of their distributions, has prevented a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the genus.