Published October 17, 2023. Updated January 8, 2024. Open access. | Gallery ❯ |
Collared Forest Gecko (Gonatodes concinnatus)
Reptiles of Ecuador | Sauria | Sphaerodactylidae | Gonatodes concinnatus
English common names: Collared Forest Gecko, O’Shaughnessy’s Gecko.
Spanish common name: Geco collarejo.
Recognition: ♂♂ 11.4 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=5.3 cm. ♀♀ 10.5 cmMaximum distance from the snout to the tip of the tail. Snout–vent length=4.9 cm..1 Geckos of the genus Gonatodes in Ecuador can be identified based on their diurnal habits, lack of moveable eyelids, undilated digits having exposed claws, and absence of a scaly supraciliary flap (present in Lepidoblepharis).2,3 Collared Forest Geckos differ from the two other Gonatodes occurring on the Ecuadorian Amazon by having a black-bordered white suprahumeral bar just above or slightly posterior to the arm.1 In G. humeralis, this bar is thin, yellowish, and anterior to the arm.4 Females of G. caudiscutatus lack the shoulder line, while males are recognizable by their striking head coloration, which features bright yellow to orange hues with contrasting dark brown to black reticulations.5,6 Males of G. concinnatus can be identified by their bright orange head, black tail, broad suprahumeral bar, and their ornate dorsum, which boasts black reticulations with yellow and red interspaces and cyan lower flanks (Fig. 1).4 In contrast, females and juveniles of this species have a more subdued appearance, with drab gray coloration and irregular crossbands. In some individuals, towards the tail’s tip, the gray coloration transitions into a distinct black and white banding with high contrast.4,6
Figure 1: Collared Forest Geckos (Gonatodes concinnatus) from Ecuador: Yuralpa, Napo province (); Suchipakari Lodge, Napo province (); Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve, Napo province (); Yasuní Scientific Station, Orellana province (). j=juvenile.
Natural history: Gonatodes concinnatus is a common diurnal gecko that inhabits primary and secondary rainforests, forest clearings, and rural gardens.4,7,8 In some areas, G. concinnatus occurs in sympatry with G. humeralis,7 but in Amazonian Ecuador, the former is predominantly found in pristine habitats.9,10 The Collared Forest Gecko is specially adapted for life on vertical surfaces, with a preference for microhabitats such as the base of tree trunks (below 1.5 m) that are greater than 15 cm in diameter, buttress roots, and aerial roots of stilt palms.4,7,8 They can also be found on walls, pillars, thatched ceilings, and fences.4,7,8 Typically, no more than two individuals occupy the same tree,8 and males tend to exclude other males from their territory.4,7 On bright cloudy days, these geckos can be seen active throughout the day. On sunny days, they retreat during the hot mid-day hours, with most activity occurring in shaded rather than sunny spots.4,6 At night, individuals sleep on leaf-litter, in crevices, or roost on leaves and stems adjacent to tree trunks 1–2 m above the ground.6,8 Their hunting strategy is to ambush mobile insects that pass nearby, including insect larvae, ants, leafhoppers, spiders, millipedes, grasshoppers, termites, and roaches.4,6 On occasion, the geckos also eat their own shed skin as well as eggs of their own species.4 Collared Forest Geckos are extremely wary and move quickly for short distances.4 When disturbed, they tend to move to the opposite side of the trunk, often running down to the leaf-litter or retreating into crevices.4 Individuals also lift and curl up their tails either as a decoy or to mimic a scorpion.7,8 If captured, they can readily shed the tail as well as portions of their skin.4 The breeding season appears to take place year-round.7,11 Females produce clutches of a single egg11,12 and lay them in communal nesting sites such as in crevices8 or under bark.4
Conservation: Least Concern Believed to be safe from extinction given current circumstances..13 Gonatodes concinnatus is listed in this category given its wide distribution, presence in major protected areas, and lack of widespread threats.13 The most important threat for the long-term survival of some populations is large-scale deforestation for agriculture and cattle raising. Given their tree-trunk specialization, these geckos are unlikely to survive in regions largely devoid of trees. Unlike other congeneric geckos, G. concinnatus does not persist in urban parks or gardens of cities in the Amazon.
Distribution: Gonatodes concinnatus is native to the western Amazon basin in Colombia, Ecuador (Fig. 2), and Peru.
Figure 2: Distribution of Gonatodes concinnatus in Ecuador. The star corresponds to the type locality: Canelos, Pastaza province. See Appendix 1 for a complete list of the presence localities included in the map.
Etymology: The generic name Gonatodes, which comes from the Greek words gonatos (=node) and odes (=resembling),14 probably refers to the form of the digits which are slender but in which the joints are prominent as swellings.15 The specific epithet concinnatus means “beautifully arranged” in Latin.14
See it in the wild: Collared Forest Geckos are virtually guaranteed sightings within their distribution range in Ecuador, especially in Yasuní National Park and Cuyabeno Reserve. These colorful geckos are more easily located by scanning the base of tree trunks along forest trails during cloudy mornings.
Special thanks to Matthew Haupt for symbolically adopting the Collared Forest Gecko and helping bring the Reptiles of Ecuador book project to life.
Click here to adopt a species.
Author: Alejandro ArteagaaAffiliation: Khamai Foundation, Quito, Ecuador.
Photographers: Jose VieirabAffiliation: Tropical Herping (TH), Quito, Ecuador.,cAffiliation: ExSitu, Quito, Ecuador. and Sebastián Di DoménicodAffiliation: Keeping Nature, Bogotá, Colombia.
How to cite? Arteaga A (2023) Collared Forest Gecko (Gonatodes concinnatus). In: Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J (Eds) Reptiles of Ecuador: Life in the middle of the world. Available from: www.reptilesofecuador.com. DOI: 10.47051/NJXM6104
Literature cited:
- Sturaro MJ, Avila-Pires TCS (2011) Taxonomic revision of the geckos of the Gonatodes concinnatus complex (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae), with description of two new species. Zootaxa 2869: 1–36. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2869.1.1
- Vanzolini PE (1968) Geography of the South American Gekkonidae. Arquivos de Zoologia 17: 85–112.
- Duellman WE (2005) Cusco amazónico: the lives of amphibians and reptiles in an Amazonian rainforest. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, 433 pp.
- Vitt LJ, De la Torre S (1996) A research guide to the lizards of Cuyabeno. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, 165 pp.
- Arteaga A, Bustamante L, Vieira J, Tapia W, Guayasamin JM (2019) Reptiles of the Galápagos: life on the Enchanted Islands. Tropical Herping, Quito, 208 pp. DOI: 10.47051/AQJU7348
- Duellman WE (1978) The biology of an equatorial herpetofauna in Amazonian Ecuador. Publications of the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 65: 1–352.
- Dixon JR, Soini P (1986) The reptiles of the upper Amazon Basin, Iquitos region, Peru. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, 154 pp.
- Field notes, Reptiles of Ecuador book project.
- Vitt LJ, Zani PA, Monteiro de Barros AA (1997) Ecological variation among populations of the gekkonid lizard Gonatodes humeralis in the Amazon Basin. Copeia 1997: 32–43. DOI: 10.2307/1447837
- Vitt LJ, Zani PA (1996) Organization of a taxonomically diverse lizard assemblage in Amazonian Ecuador. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74: 1313–1335.
- Fitch H (1970) Reproductive cycles in lizards and snakes. Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, 247 pp.
- Meiri S, Avila L, Bauer AM, Chapple DG, Das I, Doan TM, Doughty P, Ellis R, Grismer L, Kraus F, Morando M, Oliver P, Pincheira-Donoso D, Ribeiro-Junior MA, Shea G, Torres-Carvajal O, Slavenko A, Roll U (2020) The global diversity and distribution of lizard clutch sizes. Global Ecology and Biogeography 29: 1515–1530. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13124
- Aparicio J, Avila-Pires TCS, Moravec J, Perez P (2016) Gonatodes concinnatus. The IUCN Red List of threatened species. Available from: www.iucnredlist.org. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T44579268A44579277.en
- Brown RW (1956) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Books, Washington D.C., 882 pp.
- Russell AP, Baskerville J, Gamble T, Higham TE (2015) The evolution of digit form in Gonatodes (Gekkota: Sphaerodactylidae) and its bearing on the transition from frictional to adhesive contact in Gekkotans. Journal of Morphology 276: 1311–1132. DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20420
Appendix 1: Locality data used to create the distribution map of Gonatodes concinnatus in Ecuador (Fig. 2). Go to the section on symbols and abbreviations for a list of acronyms used. Asterisk (*) indicates type locality.
| Country | Province | Locality | Source |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Campamento El Guamo | Ruiz Valderrama 2021 |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Florencia | Cárdenas Hincapié & Lozano Bernal 2022 |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Vereda el Paraiso | Calderón et al. 2023 |
| Colombia | Caquetá | Vereda Sucre | Ruiz Valderrama 2021 |
| Colombia | Putumayo | La Miranda | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Puerto Asis, 5 km NE of | Calderón et al. 2023 |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Río Pepino | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Colombia | Putumayo | San Miguel de Mocoa | Cárdenas Hincapié & Lozano Bernal 2022 |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Valle del Guamuéz | Borja-Acosta & Galeano Muñoz 2023 |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Vereda Bajo Afán | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Colombia | Putumayo | Vereda San Pedro | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Cusuime | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Macuma | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Taisha | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Morona Santiago | Wisui | Brito et al. 2011 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Campamento Codo bajo | COCASINCLAIR 2013 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Chontapunta | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Gareno Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Napo | Hacienda George Kiederle | USNM 166137; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Napo | Huaorani Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Napo | Jatun Sacha Biological Reserve | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Liana Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Napo | Loreto–Concepción | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Misahuallí, 6.5 km ESE of | MCZ 171937; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Napo | Puerto Napo | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Puerto Napo, 2 km W of | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Río Jatunyacu | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Napo | Río Misahuallí | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Napo | Sinchi Sacha | Photo by Ernesto Arbeláez |
| Ecuador | Napo | Suchipakari Lodge | USNM 166137; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Napo | Yachana Lodge | USNM 166137; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Napo | Yachana Reserve | USNM 166137; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Napo | Yuralpa | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Boca del Río Coca | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | El Descanso | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Hacía el Río Punino | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Lagarto Cocha | USNM 234496; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Laguna Taracoa | MCZ 154439; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Loreto | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Nuevo Rocafuerte | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Pozo Capirón | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Bigal Biological Reserve | García et al. 2021 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Nashiño | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Payamino | USNM 234493; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Yasuní | UF 43355; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Río Yasuní, near Lake Jatuncocha | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Orellana | San José de Payamino | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | San José de Sumaco | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Shiripuno Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Tiputini Biodiversity Station | Da Silva et al 1995 |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Yarentaro | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Yarina EcoLodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Orellana | Yasuní Scientific Station | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Achuar Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Alrededores de Villano B | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Canelos* | O’Shaughnessy 1881 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Chuintza | Almendariz 1987 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Conambo | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Curaray Medio | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Estación Científica Oglán | Online multimedia |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Heimatlos Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Huella Verde Lodge | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Juyuintza | Ortega-Andrade 2010 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Kurintza | Ortega-Andrade 2010 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Montalvo | Almendariz 1987 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Nuevo Golondrina | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Palora | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Pista Kapawi | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Puyo | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Arajuno | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Pindo | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Río Villano | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Sarayacu | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Tarangaro | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | Territorio Shiwiar | Ortega Andrade et al. 2010 |
| Ecuador | Pastaza | UNOCAL Base Camp | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Bloque 15 | Izquierdo et al. 2000 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | CEPE | MCZ 163233; VertNet |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Comunidad Orense, 7 km E of | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Comunidad Zábalo | Cevallos Bustos 2010 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Cuyabeno Reserve | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Estación PUCE en Cuyabeno | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | La Selva Lodge | Sunbird Tours |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Lago Agrio | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Limoncocha | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Lumbaqui, parroquia urbana | Dueñas and Báez 2021 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Monte Carmelo | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Perico 3 | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Petroamazonas camp | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Playas de Cuyabeno | Carvajal-Campos et al. 2019 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Recinto Amazonas | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Río Aguarico | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Río Cuyabeno | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Sacha Lodge | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Sani Lodge | Thomas et al. 2020 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Santa Cecilia | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Santa Elena | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Shushufindi | Salguero 2012 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Singue | iNaturalist; photo examined |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Tarapoa | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Ecuador | Sucumbíos | Zábalo, Familia Criollo | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Ecuador | Tungurahua | El Topo | Reptiles of Ecuador book database |
| Peru | Loreto | Aguas Negras | Yánez-Muñoz & Venegas 2008 |
| Peru | Loreto | Moropon | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Peru | Loreto | Redondococha | Yánez-Muñoz & Venegas 2008 |
| Peru | Loreto | San Jacinto | Sturaro & Avila-Pires 2011 |
| Peru | Loreto | Santa María | UF 28017; VertNet |
| Peru | Loreto | Zona Reservada Güeppí | Yánez-Muñóz & Vanegas 2008 |