About
This range-restricted gecko occurs in two colour variants: one with speckles and one with stripes, but all have yellow bellies.
This species has a very small generation time and has an incredibly fast population turnover of just one to two years!
This species can be considered a true microendemic as it only found on a few peaks of the Tsafajavona Mountain in the Ankaratra Massif in Madagascar. The total area in which it exists is just 27 km2.
This diminutive gecko persists in areas subjected to annual burning for agriculture, but the increasing intensity of this practice may soon become a major threat. Given the extreme lifecycle of this species, the disruption of a single year of reproduction could be catastrophic. Efforts are underway to conserve habitat across the Ankaratra massif.
- Order: Squamata
- Family: Gekkonidae
- Population: Abundant
- Trend: unknown
- Size: 29mm (?)
EDGE Score
Distribution
The species is found between 2,000 and 2,643 metres above sea level on some peaks in the Ankaratra massif, in the central highlands of Madagascar.
Habitat and Ecology
This gecko is found in high evelations of the highly inaccessible Ankaratra Massif, where weather conditions are harsh and variable. It prefers montane grassland with some ericoid (small-leafed) bushes, and can be found around groups of small rocks. They breed in both the wet and dry season. Eggs are laid onto a substrate near stones.