Correlophus ciliatus “crested gecko” – Introduction and detailed studies about morphs.
Crested geckos originate from the South Province of New Caledonia. That’s a a group of islands located in the south-western Pacific Ocean. They were first discovered in 1866 by Alphone Guichenot, a French zoologist. He gave them the scientific name Correlophus ciliatus.
In 1883, crested geckos were reclassified and renamed Rhacodactyllus ciliatus; the ciliatus part of their name is Latin and refers to the crests over their eyes. These crests resemble eyelashes, which is how they got their other name, the “eyelash” crested gecko. Today the original scientific name is used for the crested gecko: Correlophus ciliatus.
Up until very recently, crested geckos were believed to be extinct, But in 1994, a group of German herpetologists undertook an expedition to New Caledonia following a tropical storm. They discovered various populations of these geckos, alive. Today, there are three separate populations in the South Province: one on the Isle of Pines, and two on the main island of Grande Terre (split into a group near the Blue River and a group near Mount Dzumac).
Detailed studies about crested gecko morphs:
