![]() ![]() Neither of the Catchment Forest Reserves where it occurs is well-protected. williamsi's tropical forest habitat is also shrinking and fragmenting. The gecko is now restricted to the forest in Tanzania and is at risk of extinction in the wild as the forests are cleared. The pet trade is likely a worse threat than habitat loss. Many geckos are thought to die while being shipped to market. It is also fond of nectar.Ĭollectors commonly cut down screwpine trees to reach the geckos living in the leaf crest, destroying the gecko's habitat. It eats small insects and drinks water from leaves. A single leaf crown will typically contain a single individual, or an adult male, an adult female, and juveniles. It only lives on large trees, those with leaves more than 1 m (3.3 ft) long. In the wild, the turquoise day gecko lives exclusively on the (redlisted endemic) screwpine, Pandanus rabaiensis, mostly in the leaf crown. The two known sites outside protected areas are tiny: one consists of 14 Pandanus trees (the rest has been cleared for banana plantations) and the other is equally close to disappearing. The size of the remaining subpopulations is unknown, but their size is not thought to contribute significantly to the total population. The subpopulation in Kimboza Forest Reserve was estimated at 150,000 adults in 2009. These are located at the foothills of the Uluguru Mountains in eastern Tanzania. williamsi is only found in 8 km 2 (3.1 sq mi) of the Kimboza Forest, Ruvu Forest Reserve, Mbagalala and Muhalama at an altitude of 170–480 m (560–1,570 ft). williamsi geckos through his home breeding project. Payne has gone on to produce nearly 1,000 L. ![]() A standout among modern breeders is Frank Payne (of Living Arts), who has stated that ″…All of my williamsi offered for sale are captive bred by me in my home, none of the williamsi I have ever owned have been taken from the wild.″ Mr. Captive-bred animals also do not experience a stressful readjustment period (to captivity) as they were never taken from the wild the offspring of captive bred geckos will innately be accustomed to human care, as opposed to the shock (and possible death) of truly wild-caught geckos. williamsi, fine-tuning proper husbandry to promote the captive-breeding of healthy, hardy animals. However, a small number of individuals are working with L. It is estimated that between December 2004 and July 2009, at least 32,310 to 42,610 geckos were taken by one collecting group, ~15% of the wild population at the time. Īlthough trade in wild-caught turquoise day geckos is illegal, wild-caught geckos are commonly sold in pet shops. It is critically endangered and the population is thought to be declining rapidly. williamsi is mostly threatened by (entirely illegal) collection for the international pet trade. ![]() Similar restrictions apply in some other jurisdictions. The gecko may not be kept or sold in the EU without documentation and permits, renewable every three years, and geckos must now be registered. williamsi, as a species, was placed under EU Appendix B protection (December 2014) and EU Appendix A protection (January 2017), and given CITES Appendix I protection in January 2017, as well. A captive breeding project and studbook was initiated by EAZA-registered zoos in 2013. williamsi breeds in captivity, the young have specific care requirements, making large-scale breeding difficult. Illegally wild-caught specimens are widely sold in the pet trade, often falsely promoted as captive-bred. Common names include turquoise dwarf gecko, William's dwarf gecko and, in the pet trade, electric blue gecko or electric blue day gecko. The species is endemic to a small area of Tanzania. Lygodactylus williamsi is a critically endangered species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. Lygodactylus williamsi is restricted to a few square kilometers of Tanzania. ![]()
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