The Belize leaf-toed gecko (''Phyllodactylus insularis'') is a species of gecko native to

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

. It is a small, pale, large headed gecko only found on small islands off Belize's coast and was first described by James R. Dixon in 1960. This species is currently classified as "

vulnerable Vulnerable may refer to: General * Vulnerability * Vulnerability (computing) * Vulnerable adult * Vulnerable species Music Albums * ''Vulnerable'' (Marvin Gaye album), 1997 * ''Vulnerable'' (Tricky album), 2003 * ''Vulnerable'' (The Used album) ...

" by the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

Description

The Belize leaf-toed gecko is a small, pale, large-headed gecko. It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an ethology, animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have ...

and emerges from under barks and limbs to feed on insects and other arthropods. Like other geckos it has adhesive friction pads on the toes of each foot. The gecko emits a sounds similar to a high pitched squeak or click.

Habitat

The gecko lives in trees and can be found in littoral forests on small islands. It is endemic to lowland Maya forests. Sub adults are exclusively found under surface objects while adults are found solely on palm trunks

Distribution

The Belize leaf-toed gecko has been recorded on

Half Moon Caye Half Moon Caye is an island and natural monument of Belize located at the southeast corner of Lighthouse Reef Atoll. This natural monument was the first nature reserve to have been established in Belize under the National Park Systems Act in ...

, Long Caye, Twin Cayes, Glover's Reef, Crawl Caye, False Caye, Lagoon Caye, Peter Douglas Caye, Ambergris Caye and West Snake Caye off the coast of Belize.

Elevation

Elevation ranges from

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

to 50 meters.

Reproduction

They are

oviparous Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...

and typically lay 1 or 2 eggs in a clutch

Predation

''Phyllodactus insularis'' is known to be preyed upon by rats.

Threats

The

reports that habitat destruction caused by tourism development is a threat to this species. It is also threatened by sea level rise and storm surge.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3381895 insularis Reptiles of Belize Endemic fauna of Belize Reptiles described in 1960 Taxa named by James R. Dixon