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    (Click here to return to Creatures)


    Alien
    (Introduced)
    Common Name:Gold Dust Day Gecko
    Bright green and blue
    Scientific:Phelsuma laticauda laticauda
    Size:4 to 5 inches long
    Color:Vivid blues, greens with gold speckles
    Habitat:Sea level to 5,000 ft

    The Gold Dust Day Gecko is a spectacular lizard. It is 4 to 5 inches long. The lizard is totally iridescent with vivid bright colors. The base color is a bright green that tapers, as if airbrushed, to a bluish color at the feet. Sprinkled below the neck and on the tail are bright tiny specks of gold color. The upper side of the eye is a bright powder blue. On the nose and also in the center of the back are three reddish ovals and small reddish dots descend into the tail.

    The lizard I've photographed here is at a friend's house up in Volcano at 4,000 ft. This lizard is fairly helpful in Hawai'i at keeping insects at bay and is very popular with people for keeping as pets.

    An InstantHawaii reader wrote in to add the following comments:

    I was going to just note, you have the gold dust day gecko featured on your site, but that gecko is an introduced species from madagascar through the pet trade, and competes with native insectivorous animals for food and habitat, as well as adding additional bioload to the fragile ecosystem especially on the Big Island. It is a pest species like the Jacksons Chameleon.

    - Charles Small


    The bright blue above the eye indicates this gecko is at full color

    A very patient gecko, it let me snap this beautiful full back shot

    Head shot


    Searching for prey

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