''Mniarogekko chahoua'' is commonly known as the mossy New Caledonian gecko, short-snouted New Caledonian gecko, Bavay's giant gecko, or mossy prehensile-tailed gecko. It is an arboreal

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

found natively on the southern portion of the island of

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and on the outlying islands of

Île des Pins The Isle of Pines (french: Île des Pins; name in Kanak people, Kanak language Kwênyii: ') is an island in the Pacific Ocean, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France. The island is part of the commune in France, ...

Conservation status

''Mniarogekko chahoua'' is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List.

Taxonomy and systematics

''Mniarogekko chahoua'' was first described in 1869 as ''Platydactylus chahoua'' by Arthur Bavay, a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

and herpetologist.Beolens B, Watkins M, Grayson M. (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Rhacodactylus chahoua'', p. 19).

Description

''Mniarogekko chahoua'' gets its common name from the

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.geographic Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

indicator in this

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

as the geckos from the outer islands most often display the lighter gray patterns. It possesses a strong, well-muscled, fully prehensile tail and is not subject to dropping it as readily as some of its relatives. Adult length is 10-12" (25-31cm).

Diet

''Mniarogekko chahoua'', like all of the ''New Caledonian'' geckos, are

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nutr ...

s. Their diet in the wild consists of various

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s and fruits. They may also consume small

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

Reproduction

''Mniarogekko chahoua'' lays two well calcified eggs that become adhered to one another shortly after laying. This is known as "egg gluing". ''Mniarogekko chahoua'' is the only ''Rhacodactylus'' gecko that lays adhering eggs. The eggs are generally laid on top of the substrate (generally behind loose

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

bark) and are guarded by the female. The eggs hatch 60–90 days after laying.

Captivity

This gecko is sometimes found in the pet trade, and typically available captive-bred. With good care, this species can live up to 15-20 years.