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An endemic gecko in the Caribbean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2009

C. Kenneth Dodd
Affiliation:
Office of Endangered Species, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, DC 20240, USA.
Pedro R. Ortiz R.
Affiliation:
Departamento de Recursos Naturales, Apartado 5887, Puerto de Tierra, Puerto Rico 00906.
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When the Monito gecko was first discovered in 1974 on Isla Monito in the Caribbean it was apparently threatened by introduced rats. In 1982 a survey by the authors showed that the species is indeed rare and is restricted to two small areas of the tiny island but further work is needed to establish the reasons; the rats are the most obvious, but as yet unproven, cause. Meanwhile the gecko has been listed as endangered by the USA. This alone will not help but it is a start in the conservation of the species.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1983

References

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