CRESTED GECKO HISTORY

The crested gecko or eyelash gecko (scientific name Correlophus ciliatus) is native to New Caledonia and was once thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994 during an expedition after a tropical storm led by Robert Seipp.  The species was first described by the French zoologist Alphone Guichenot in 1866.  It was later named Rhacodactylus ciliatus, however it has since been reclassified as R. ciliatus due to not being closely related to the other giant gecko species.  The scientific name, ciliatus, is Latin from cilia meaning "fringe" or "eyelashes" which refers to the crest of skin over the animal's eyes that resemble eyelashes.

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The Crested gecko is endemic to South Province, New Caledonia.  There are three populations which are the Isle of Pines and surrounding islets, the main island of Grande Terre and around the Blue River and further North, just south of Mount Dzumac.  New Caledonia is a French territory in the South Pacific and is located off the East coast of Australia.

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