Abstract
Some geckos lay eggs at communal egg deposition sites with as many as 300 eggs per site. Selection of egg deposition sites is important to avoid egg damage and predation. We investigated survival rates of communal egg clutches of the Indian Golden Gecko Calodactylodes aureus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). Our results show that communal clutches have a higher survival rate in sites with water bodies and without anthropogenic activities, in comparison to sites having the opposite combination. These findings are discussed in the context of the status of this gecko.
Highlights
The Indian Golden Gecko Calodactylodes aureus (Beddome, 1870) was rediscovered in 1986 after more than 100 years (Daniel et al 1986; Russell & Bauer 1989)
A gravid female at an egg depositing site with anthropogenic disturbance at Ananthagiri, Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh
An Indian Golden Gecko in its natural habitat at Perantalapally, Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh
Summary
The Indian Golden Gecko Calodactylodes aureus (Beddome, 1870) was rediscovered in 1986 after more than 100 years (Daniel et al 1986; Russell & Bauer 1989). The Indian Golden Gecko is distributed along the coastal hills of Andhra Pradesh, southern Chhattisgarh, southern Orissa and northern Tamil Nadu regions of India (Daniel et al 1986; Molur & Walker 1998; Bauer & Das 2001; Dutta et al 2005; Javed et al 2007) and had long been considered rare and poorly known (Russell & Bauer 1989; Molur & Walker 1998; Mirza et al 2010) This gecko prefers rocky areas with deep stream valleys and has been observed at elevations between 50 and 1000 m.
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