Rhacodactylus chahoua

Rhacodactylus chahoua
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Gekkota
Family: Diplodactylidae
Genus: Rhacodactylus
Species: R. chahoua
Binomial name
Rhacodactylus chahoua
(Bavay, 1869)[2]
Synonyms
  • Platydactylus chahoua Bavay, 1869
  • Platydactylus (Rhacodactylus) chahoua — Sauvage, 1879 (part)
  • Chameleonurus chahoua
    — Boulenger, 1879 (part)
  • Rhacodactylus chahoua
    — Boulenger, 1883
  • Mniarogekko chahoua
    — A.M. Bauer et al., 2012[3]

Rhacodactylus chahoua commonly known as the mossy New Caledonian gecko, short-snouted New Caledonian gecko, Bavay's giant gecko, or mossy prehensile-tailed gecko, is an arboreal gecko found natively on the southern portion of the island of New Caledonia and on the outlying islands of Île des Pins.

Conservation status

R. chahoua is currently being evaluated by CITES as a possible candidate for protective status.

Taxonomy and Systematics

R. chahoua was first described in 1869 as Platydactylus chahoua by Arthur Bavay, a French pharmacist and herpetologist.[3][4]

Description

R. chahoua gets its common name from the moss or lichen-like pattern it displays. Colors range from rusty red and brown to green or gray. There has been some notation that color could possibly be a geographic indicator in this species as the geckos from the outer islands most often display the lighter gray patterns. It commonly reaches a snout to vent length (SVL) of 5.5 in (14 cm).

Diet

R. chahoua, like all of the Rhacodactylus geckos, are omnivores. Their diet in the wild consists of various insects and fruits. They may also consume small lizards.

Reproduction

R. chahoua lays two well calcified eggs that become adhered to one another shortly after laying. This is known as "egg gluing". R. chahoua is the only Rhacodactylus gecko that lays adhering eggs. The eggs are generally laid on top of the substrate (generally behind loose tree bark) and are guarded by the female. The eggs hatch 60-90 days after laying.

Herpetoculture

This gecko is seen in herpetoculture but rarely. A male-female pair may be kept in a terrarium with a minimum size of 24 × 18 × 18 in (61 × 46 × 46 cm), but as with all arboreal geckos, the taller the enclosure the better.

References

  1. ↑ Sadlier RA, Whitaker AH. (2011). "Rhacodactylus chahoua". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  2. ↑ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  4. ↑ Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Rhacodactylus chahoua, p. 19).

Further reading