2020/3/8 Uroplatus phantasticus - Wikipedia

Uroplatus phantasticus
Uroplatus phantasticus, the satanic leaf-tailed
Uroplatus phantasticus
gecko, is a species of gecko indigenous to the island of
Madagascar. First described in 1888 by George Albert
Boulenger, U. phantasticus is the smallest in body of the
Uroplatus geckos, though there is an ongoing debate as to
whether one of its cousins, U. ebenaui, is smaller because of
its shorter tail. It may also be known as the eyelash leaf-
tailed gecko or the phantastic leaf-tailed gecko.

Ranomafana National Park,

Contents Madagascar

Etymology Conservation status

Distribution and habitat

Description
Behavior Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Captivity Scientific classification
Threats
Kingdom: Animalia
Conservation
Phylum: Chordata
References
Class: Reptilia
External links
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Etymology
Genus: Uroplatus
The generic name, Uroplatus, is a Latinization of two Greek
Species: U. phantasticus
words: "ourá" (οὐρά) meaning "tail" and "platys" (πλατύς)
meaning "flat". Its specific name phantasticus is the Latin Binomial name
word for "imaginary", based upon the gecko's unique Uroplatus phantasticus
appearance, which led Belgian naturalist George Albert Boulenger,[2] 1888[3]
Boulenger to describe it as “mythical” in 1888.[3]

Distribution and habitat

The species is endemic to Madagascar, meaning it is found
nowhere else.[4] It is an arboreal species that relies on its
natural camouflage in the northern and central tropical
forests of Madagascar.

Description
Search for a

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Its adult size is up to 90mm in total length, including the tail.[5] As with all Uroplatus geckos the
Nederlands
tail is flattened, but Português
the leaf-like appearance is only seen in the ebenaui complex (U. phantasticus,
U. ebenaui, and U. malama; although the tail size is much reduced in U. ebenaui). It has often
been debated whether U. phantasticus
Simple English is in fact the same species as U. ebenaui (the Nosy Bé flat-
tailed gecko). However U. phantasticus possesses more, and longer, spines on the head, body and
Suomi
trunk.[6] Other members of the genus Uroplatus have flattened tails that serve more to diminish
the profile of the gecko while it is inactive. Some U. phantasticus geckos even have notches in their
Svenska
tails to further mimic a decaying leaf.[7] This is also thought to be a form of sexual dimorphism, as
the trait seems more common
Tiếng Việt in the males of the species. In addition, U. phantasticus has an
eyelash-like projection above each eye. During daylight hours, these adaptations help the gecko
Winaray
blend into its surroundings. At night it helps the gecko hunt for prey by providing camouflage.
Čeština
Geckos possess no eyelids, just a transparent covering over their eyes, and so they use their long,
mobile tongues to wipe [7]
ไทย away any dust or debris that gets into the eye.

The gecko occurs in a variety of colors, including hues of purple, orange, tan and yellow, but is
often mottled brown,[8] with small black dots on the underside that help to distinguish it from
similar species.[4]

Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana National Park

Ranomafana National Park Composite

Behavior
A nocturnal reptile, with suitably large eyes, the leaf-tailed gecko moves about its rainforest
habitat at night feeding on insects.[4] The adhesive scales under their fingers and toes and their
strong curved claws enable them to move adeptly through the trees.[4] The leaf-tailed gecko is
somewhat of an expert at avoiding predators, not only through their incredible mimicry but

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through a number of behaviours. They can flatten their body against the substrate to reduce the
body's shadow, open their jaws wide to show a frightening, bright red mouth, and voluntarily shed
their tail in order to trick a predator.[4]

Like many reptiles, the leaf-tailed gecko is oviparous, or egg-laying. Reproduction starts at the
beginning of the rainy season when it lays clutches of two spherical eggs onto the ground under
leaf litter or in the dead leaves of plants.[4]

Captivity
Uroplatus phantasticus is common in captivity and often kept in breeding pairs or trios. Males can
be housed together as intraspecific aggression tends to be low when captive conditions are
sufficient. However, even in good circumstances, there is occasional male-male aggression.
Keepers of this species often simply refer to them as Phants.

The gecko eats a variety of appropriately sized insects including crickets and moths. If breeding is
successful in captivity, eggs will be laid at intervals of approximately 30 days and take 90 to 120
days to hatch.

There are seven zoos in the United States that have this gecko, two of which breed it, including the
San Diego Zoo.[9]

Threats
Habitat destruction, deforestation, and collection for the pet trade all threaten the existence of this
animal.[10] Studies suggest that leaf-tailed geckos can only inhabit a very specific environment and
are not tolerant of any degradation of its natural habitat. This makes the satanic leaf-tailed gecko
very vulnerable to the impacts of habitat degradation and harvesting,[4] a common problem due to
it being a very popular pet. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) lists all of the Uroplatus
species on their "Top ten most wanted species list" of animals threatened by illegal wildlife trade,
because of it "being captured and sold at alarming rates for the international pet trade". It is a
CITES Appendix 2 protected animal.[10]

Conservation
The survival of the satanic leaf-tailed gecko is intrinsically linked to the continued existence of its
Madagascan rainforest habitat. Protected areas are therefore essential, and at present, the satanic
leaf-tailed gecko is known to occur in at least three: Tsaratanana Strict Nature Reserve, Marojejy
National Park or Anjanaharibe Special Reserve. However, illegal harvesting of leaf-tailed geckos is
known to occur even within protected areas,[4] and efforts to control this threatening activity are
required if this extraordinary and unique reptile is to endure. This gecko is not a prey of birds, as
commonly thought.

References
This article incorporates text from the ARKive fact-file "Uroplatus phantasticus" under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License and the GFDL.

1. IUCN Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/172906/0), retrieved 16 February

2012

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2020/3/8 Uroplatus phantasticus - Wikipedia

2. "Uroplatus phantasticus Boulenger, 1888" (http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species.php?ge

nus=Uroplatus&species=phantasticus). The Reptile Database. J. Craig Venter Institute.
Retrieved 2009-01-27.
3. Boulenger, G. A. (1888). "Descriptions of new Reptiles and Batrachians from Madagascar" (htt
ps://zenodo.org/record/2433995). The Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6 (1): 101–
107. doi:10.1080/00222938809460688 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00222938809460688).
4. "Consideration of Proposals for Amendment of Appendices I and II, Proposal 27" (http://www.ci
tes.org/eng/cop/13/prop/index.php). Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties, The
Hague. CITES. (2004). Retrieved 15 September 2011.
5.
6. Nussbaum, R.A.; Raxworthy, C.J. (1995). "New Uroplatus Duméril (Reptilia: Squamata:
Gekkonidae) of the ebenaui-Group from the Anosy Mountains of Southern Madagascar".
Copeia. 1995 (1): 118–124. doi:10.2307/1446806 (https://doi.org/10.2307%2F1446806).
JSTOR 1446806 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/1446806).
7. Halliday, T., and Adler, K. (2002). The New Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. Oxford
University Press.
8. A., Bauer; Russell, A. (1989). "A systematic review of the genus Uroplatus (Reptilia:
Gekkonidae), with comments on its biology". Journal of Natural History. 23: 169–203.
doi:10.1080/00222938900770101 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00222938900770101).
9. Stetz, M. Zoo's first 2011 baby: Satanic leaf-tailed gecko. (http://www.signonsandiego.com/new
s/2011/jan/06/san-diego-zoos-first-2011-baby-satanic/) San Diego Union-Tribune January 6,
2011.
10. "Inclusion of Uroplatus spp. in Appendix II" (https://web.archive.org/web/20081123014826/htt
p://www.cites.org/common/cop/13/inf/E13i-32.pdf) (PDF). Technical comments in support of
amendments to CITES appendices submitted by Madagascar. CITES. 2004. Archived from the
original (http://www.cites.org/common/cop/13/inf/E13i-32.pdf) (PDF) on 23 November 2008.
Retrieved 2 November 2008.

External links
Uroplatus phantasticus (https://web.archive.org/web/*/www.arkive.org/uroplatus-phantasticus)
media from ARKive

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