Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Lepidodactylus tepukapili (Lepidodactylus tepukapili), recorded as Critically Endangered
Lepidodactylus tepukapili (Lepidodactylus tepukapili). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Critically Endangered

Lepidodactylus tepukapili

Lepidodactylus tepukapili

Lepidodactylus tepukapili is a gecko in the family Gekkonidae, recorded as Critically Endangered.

Status
Critically Endangered
Scientific name
Lepidodactylus tepukapili
Taxonomy
Squamata · Gekkonidae · Lepidodactylus

The gecko

Lepidodactylus tepukapili is a gecko in the family Gekkonidae.

Range and habitat

Lepidodactylus tepukapili is a gecko, that is known as the Tuvalu forest gecko and is known in the Tuvaluan language as moko or pili. It is the only recorded vertebrate that is endemic to Tuvalu. Lepidodactylus tepukapili's naming is based upon the Tuvaluan language words for "small lizard" and the island of Tepuka, where specimens were first discovered.

The two small low-lying islands on that it occurs average just 2 metres above sea level.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Habits

Typical geckos hunt after dark on vertical surfaces. Day geckos in some genera are the exception — bright and diurnal.

In crisis

In 2021, the IUCN published its assessment of the Tuvalu forest gecko, classifying it as Critically Endangered due to the ongoing threat of sea-level rise, as related to anthropogenic climate change.

Lepidodactylus tepukapili is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Lepidodactylus tepukapili, Wikidata item Q5072046. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Lepidodactylus listeri (Lepidodactylus listeri), recorded as Extinct in the WildEW

Lepidodactylus listeri

Lepidodactylus listeri
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Lepidodactylus tepukapili?
Lepidodactylus tepukapili is a gecko in the family Gekkonidae.
What is the conservation status of Lepidodactylus tepukapili?
Critically Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Lepidodactylus tepukapili. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Lepidodactylus tepukapili live?
The two small low-lying islands on that it occurs average just 2 metres above sea level.
Why is Lepidodactylus tepukapili in crisis?
In 2021, the IUCN published its assessment of the Tuvalu forest gecko, classifying it as Critically Endangered due to the ongoing threat of sea-level rise, as related to anthropogenic climate change.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Lepidodactylus tepukapili?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Lepidodactylus tepukapili a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.