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Post by Ceratodromeus on Feb 5, 2016 3:25:04 GMT 5
 Scientific classificationKingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Gekkota Family: Diplodactylidae Genus: Mniarogekko Species: M. chahouaDescription Because of the plant density of their habitat, this particular genus of geckos is incredibly hard to study. However, there is enough data on them to come to tentative conclusions on their natural history. This particular species was lumped with other members of the Mniarogekko genus in the years following it's description, but has since been recognized as a distinct species. The holotype animal described in 1869 has since been lost, and a great amount of confusion surrounds exactly where the type specimen was taken from. Regardless, in the 1960's, the species was mentioned by Robert Mertens, the great German herpetologist. The animal in question( catalogue number SMF 61779) was collected from the middle of the main island of New Caledonia {1}. As the common name may indicate, this species is a mossy green in coloration, with various red or hazel brown bandings running the entire length of the body. This coloration helps these geckos expertly blend in with the trunks of trees in their habitat. The neotype animal(CAS 15669) measures 145mm(5.7in) in snout-ventral length, with a regenerated tail measuring 90mm(3.5in); giving the animal a total body length of roughly 235mm (9.2in). Like other members of the Mniarogekko genus, this species has loose skin folds, which also aid in the gecko blending into it's environment. The tail is very strong and prehensile, giving them some more leverage amongst their arboreal habitats, and giving them an alternative common name. Sexual dimorhism is present, with males tending to be larger then the females as adults. The coloration of the animals also appears to vary between sexes as well, with females displaying a mostly green coloration, while males mostly are a brown or a reddish brown. Males have heads a head that is ~7% longer and ~13% wider then females of similar lengths {1}.  Geographic range & habitat useAnimals have been collected from multiple localities throughout New Caledonia, though as noted above, the locality from which the holotype animal is now known to be dubious. The range of the species has been expanded when a specimen was collected from the locality of Sarramea {2}. Regardless, the Mniarogekko genus is a rather successful group of forest dwelling geckos, and this species is no different; being specialized forests dwellers and possessing coloration that allow them to blend seamlessly into the surroundings of their arboreal habitat. These geckos have been collected from forests at elevations of 1100-1200m.  Dietary habitsLike other members of this genus, this species feeds on insects and fruit matter. Captive animals have been noted eating bananas, papayas, crickets, and young mice {1}. In wild situations they are probably opportunistic animals, feeding on fruits or nectar, but also taking small intertebrates as well as the occasional vertebrate. Bauer(1985) noted that these geckos are almost careful when they are eating soft fruits such as banana, using their tongue to scoop portions into their mouth. However when they were to go for crickets, they would do so aggressively, not utilizing their tongue like in the fruit feeding he recorded earlier {3}. ReproductionNot a terrible amount of scientific literature is available on the reproduction habits and mating rituals of this species, But observations in captive animals displaying pre-copulatory behaviors that include straddling the female and the male rubbing his chin over the base of the female's tail repeatedly. Notes on the eggs of this species indicate it lays a pair that measure approximately 28x15mm(1.1x0.5in) and weigh between 4.0-4.6g.(0.14-0.16oz) {1}. It has been reported(Henkel 1981) that the eggs being incubated at 27 degrees Celsius hatch after 85 days, and that females can produce a clutch every two to two and a half months.  References{1} Bauer, Aaron M. "Notes on the taxonomy, morphology and behavior of Rhacodactylus chahoua (Bavay)(Reptilia: Gekkonidae)." Bonn. Zool. Beitr 36.1/2 (1985): 81-94. {2} Bauer, AARON M., and ROSS A. Sadlier. "New data on the distribution, status, and biology of the New Caledonian giant geckos (Squamata: Diplodactylidae: Rhacodactylus spp.)." Amphibian & Reptile Conservation 2 (2000): 24-29. {3} Schwenk, K., and G. S. Throckmorton. "Functional and evolutionary morphology of lingual feeding in squamate reptiles: phylogenetics and kinematics." Journal of Zoology 219.1 (1989): 153-175. |
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Post by Ceratodromeus on Aug 16, 2016 4:46:50 GMT 5
Recently i contacted a breeder of the species by the name of Daniel Martin, and asked him to write up an article on captive breeding of the species. Below is his work entirely, and i will link his facebook page at the bottom of this post. Very good read! Breeding M.chahoua "After working with Mniarogekko for more than 15 years and have seen many things that have not been documented, one in particular, is that I believe M.chahoua need to bond to successfully breed & for long-term breeding. I have noticed that breeding does not occur and actually results in fighting to the death if the male is smaller than the female. The females will reject the small male, I’m assuming as a survival concept, where the best babies will be produced by breeding to the biggest and best male; “Survival of the fittest”. However, this behavior where the male is rejected causes him to become more aggressive to be noticed by the female. Which on 2 separate occasions, unfortunately this has resulted in the deaths of 2 of my females. Whereas the larger males are readily accepted and actually act a little more gentle. All my “bonded” females have little to no scar marks. Once the animals have bonded you will notice that they have become more comfortable with each other. They can walk past each other in the terrarium without the male even displaying any dominant behavior. They will usually sleep together, they will even hang out with each other for the most part. I have even observed a male catching a cricket with half of the crickets body sticking out of his mouth and the female walked right up and ate the other half right out of the male’s mouth, with no aggression between each other, (I suppose she was just being lazy!). The only time the males seem to keep their distance from the female is when the female is gravid, which as we know gravid females can be very aggressive, and will guard their eggs for up to 48 hours. Once bonding has successfully occurred you can leave them together 24/7, however like I previously said if you have a small male with a larger female, I would watch them like a hawk for any noticeable aggression, as you can literally lose one of your chahouas overnight, and its usually always the female. But when bonded they will even cycle themselves such as; they only breed during the season, and brumate for 3-4 months, and they only lay a set amount of clutches, about 4 sometimes 5 clutches of 2 eggs each time. When bonded I have not noticed anything indicating that the male is over breeding the female, as no eggs are laid during brumation even when they are still kept together. As long as the animals are properly taken care of, with the animals receiving the right amount of vitamins & minerals, as well as gut loaded crickets and Crested Gecko Diet, the animals can remain together for possibly the rest of their lives. My longest bonded pair has been together for 11 years now, without any problems (Knock on wood!). Since these are long lived animals it’s difficult to tell if they bond for life, but with further breeding efforts I’m sure we will be able to answer these questions along with many others. Another behavior I have observed with a few of my males, is that even the males that I have never had a problem handling have become more aggressive when bonded to a female. Even the nicest males have actually went after and attacked me when I went into their tank or got too close to his female. With one of my bonded pairs; both will defend their territory with both male & female attacking and biting anybody who enters their cage (Makes for a fun time when feeding). When I first receive my animals, it’s always good to quarantine them for at least a month. If I have breed the animals myself and am sure that I know that I am keeping them, and know the sex, as well as if they are related, I decide who I am going to attempt to breed them to. Once moved into their adult cage, I put the intended pair side by side, I also do this once the animals are out of quarantine. I then block off the intended pair from the rest of my collection. With the intended pair make sure the male is bigger than the female. Over the next month I switch their cage decorations between the cages, this way the animals can get a smell for each other. After about another month, I attempt to put the male in with the female, ALWAYS put the male in with the female, this way the male will feel uncomfortable at first. Or you can introduce them during the cooling (Brumation) period, where their activity is at its lowest. Either way watch them like a hawk for any signs of aggression, you can literally lose your female overnight due to an aggressive male. If you start to notice any kind of bite marks on any part of the female’s body, I would consider removing the male. Once past their first year the pair is pretty much good to go and you can expect better egg production the longer they are together. Now due to the longevity of M.chahoua, I have never attempted to break up any of my pairs, as I was afraid one of the animals would not accept a new mate, however if anyone has any experience in this feel free to contact me. I have used a similar method when attempting to create a bond with Rhacodactylus leachianus. After quarantine and everything is set up so that you have a male and female, place them each in their own cages and put them side by side and block their cages off from the rest of your collection. Over the next several months watch how they react to each other. I have seen them face to face on the glass “talking”, sometimes some bickering with each other. Then I would start switching their cage decorations between each other’s cage, so they can get a smell for each other. Then after a couple months of that, and you haven’t noticed any aggression or intimidation between the two animals, I would attempt to put them together. One way to do it, (Which is how I did it), is to move the male into an extra-large kritter keeper, just for temporary housing, and place that kritter keeper inside a larger tank, while at the same time placing the female in the larger tank to roam free. And just put some temporary decorations in the rest of the cage to make the female feel comfortable. After watching how they react to each other for at least a week in this living situation, you can then decide whether or not it’s ok to introduce the male to the female. At first I would just open the kritter keeper and let the male make his own way out, and again keep a close eye on them, these are some pretty big geckos and could seriously hurt each other if they decided to fight. After they seem to get a long, I would then remove them both from the cage, and actually decorate the whole cage for them, then release them at the same time in the cage, just always remember to watch for signs of aggression and with these guys you will probably be able to hear them if they start to fight as they are very vocal and very loud. Now there are other methods of introducing animals out there such as; introduce them to each other during the cooling period when they are least active, etc. However I have only described the method I use and am familiar with, also it works for me and sometimes if it’s not broke don’t fix it, but if this doesn’t work for you, do some research and try a different method, however, sometimes some animals just don’t like each other and there is nothing you can do about that." Daniel Martin KrypticMorphs www.facebook.com/KrypticMorphs |
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