Pronk’s Day Gecko

This highly elusive reptile spends the majority of its time tucked away in the cracks and crevices of tree surfaces and in the layers of decaying bark coating the forest floor. Due to its elusiveness, very little is understood about its ecology. The efforts will first attempt to identify the gecko’s activity patterns and subsequently assess its distribution and habitat usage. Phelsuma pronki is one of the smallest species of day gecko in the genus Phelsuma, reaching a total length of just 11 cm, including their tail. This small day gecko is collected for the international pet trade. It is apparent that this species has become very rare and is undergoing sever population declines.

In combination with pressure form the international pet trade, the species is threatened by severe habitat loss and fragmentation. This is being driven by slash and burn agricultural practices. This diminutive species is restricted to a small area of central Madagascar less than 100 km² and is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. It is listed on CITES Appendix II and protected areas must urgently be established to halt the current rate of habitat loss across the range of the species.