Geckolepis
''Geckolepis'' is a genus of geckos, commonly referred to as fish scale geckos, which are endemism, endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. They are nocturnal, arboreal, insectivorous lizards, found in primary forest, primary and secondary forest, as well as degraded habitats. They are best known for their ability to lose their skin and scales when grasped by a predator. Skin and scales The scales of ''Geckolepis'' are imbricated (overlapping) and Ossification, ossified. Histology, Histological studies on the scales were performed as early as 1911 by Wilhelm Josef Schmidt. Schmidt noted the heterogeneity and imbrication of the scales, which makes meristics difficult on ''Geckolepis''. Schmidt noted that the imbrication of the scales was a result of their folding, essentially being bilayered rather than monolayered. He showed also that the scale centres are ossified, formed from irregular crystals, which he illustrated in some detail. In their micro-CT scans, Scherz et al. ...
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