NEWS112
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Lizards
his dainty little animal - it attains a
maximum total length of around 6
cm - is known only from a very small
distribution region inTanzania. Its range - as
known to science - is restricted toanareaof
only around 20 km2 in the east of the
country,specifically the remnantof formerly
more extensive coastal woodlands. Within
thisareatheTurquoiseDwarfGecko is found
only on a single species of tree, the
screwpine Pandanus rabaiensis. Every
screwpine is home to a single male, along
with females and juveniles. The screwpines
comprise less than 20% of the woodland
area, but because screwpines are easy to
count it is possible to calculate the
populationofTurquoiseDwarfGeckos inthe
area fairlyaccurately.
T
Noother reptilehas created sucha stir in thepast six years as theTurquoiseDwarfGecko,
Lygodactyluswilliamsi
,
also known as the "ElectricBlue".Although the specieswas scientificallydescribed as long ago as 1952, itwasn't
until 2004 that anumber of specimens appeared in the international pet trade,and it first became known to the
general public in2008,at the Interzoo inNuremberg.
TheTurquoiseDwarfGecko -
terrariumenthusiasts can save it!
byThorstenHoltmann
Protected -onlyonpaper
The reason for the dramatic decline of the
East African coastal woodlands lies in the
unregulated felling being practiced in the
forest.On theonehandvaluablehardwoods
are being felled, while on the other the
human population is constantly increasing
andwith it the hunger for land. In addition
wood isthemost important fuel forthe local
people. Illegal clear-felling is the result.
Although the entire known distribution of
the Turquoise Dwarf Geckos is nominally
protected, this protectionexists largelyonly
onpaper.The forest continues to shrink,and
even though the screwpines have no
commercial value, theyaren't sparedduring
the felling.After clear-felling, for example for
thepurposeof agriculture,the forest cannot
regenerate naturally even if the illegal
deforestation is halted; invasive tree species
colonize the area and prevent the original
community of species from establishing a
footholdagain.
Independentofwildcollections
The terrarium hobby can readily make do
without
wild-caught
specimens,
as
Turquoise Dwarf Geckos are exceptionally
easy to breed. One German breeder, for
example, currently has 24 breedinggroups,
with itbeingreadilypossibletomaintainone
male with three females. Each female
produces a clutchof twoeggs every four to
sixweeks year-round,whichmeans at least
16-18, but usually 20, juveniles can be
expectedper female per year.The eggs are
incubatedat23-28°Candarelativehumidity
of70-90%,andthehatchrate isapproaching
Onlymales (above) of
Lygodactyluswilliamsi
are spectacularlyblue; females arebrownor greenish.
