| Correlophus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Correlophus ciliatus , the crested gecko | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Diplodactylidae |
| Genus: | Correlophus Guichenot, 1866 |
Correlophus is a genus of lizards in the family Diplodactylidae endemic to New Caledonia.
It includes three species: [1]
| Image | Scientific Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Correlophus belepensis Bauer et al., 2012 | New Caledonia | |
 | Correlophus ciliatus Guichenot, 1866 (formerly included in Rhacodactylus ) | New Caledonia. |
 | Correlophus sarasinorum Roux, 1913 (formerly included in Rhacodactylus) | New Caledonia. |
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 to 60 centimetres.
The geography of New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Calédonie), an overseas collectivity of France located in the subregion of Melanesia, makes the continental island group unique in the southwest Pacific. Among other things, the island chain has played a role in preserving unique biological lineages from the Mesozoic. It served as a waystation in the expansion of the predecessors of the Polynesians, the Lapita culture. Under the Free French it was a vital naval base for Allied Forces during the War in the Pacific.
The crested gecko or eyelash gecko is a species of gecko native to southern New Caledonia. In 1866, the crested gecko was described by French zoologist Alphonse Guichenot. This species was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994 during an expedition led by Robert Seipp. Along with several other New Caledonian gecko species, it is being considered for protected status by the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna.
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located near Powell in Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio, United States, north of the city of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Scioto River, at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Powell Road. It has a worldwide reputation, largely attributable to the efforts and promotion of director emeritus Jack Hanna. In 2009, it was named by the USA Travel Guide as the number one zoo in the United States. It was also ranked number one best zoo in 2012 by Besties Readers Choice.
The biodiversity of New Caledonia is of exceptional biological and paleoecological interest. It is frequently referred to as a biodiversity hotspot. The country is a large South Pacific archipelago with a total land area of more than 18,000 square kilometres (6,900 sq mi). The terrain includes a variety of reefs, atolls, small islands, and a variety of topographical and edaphic regions on the largest island, all of which promote the development of unusually concentrated biodiversity. The region's climate is oceanic and tropical.
The Isle of Pines is an island in the Pacific Ocean, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France. The island is part of the commune (municipality) of L'Île-des-Pins, in the South Province of New Caledonia. The Isle of Pines is nicknamed l'île la plus proche du paradis.
Antoine Alphonse Guichenot was a French zoologist who taught, researched, and participated in specimen collecting trips on behalf of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle (Paris), including an extensive biological survey of Algeria.
Paul Sarasin, full name Paul Benedict Sarasin was a Swiss naturalist and ethnologist. He is known as founder of National parks in Switzerland.
The feet of geckos have a number of specializations. Their surfaces can adhere to any type of material with the exception of Teflon (PTFE). This phenomenon can be explained with three elements:
Correlophus belepensis is a species of geckos endemic to New Caledonia. They can reach a snout–vent length of 100 mm. They have a similar appearance to their sister taxon Correlophus ciliatus. Part of the reason they are critically endangered is because they are sought after in the illegal pet trade. They only occur in a 8 kilometer area on the province of Belep; In which they are found on hard lateritic soils covered with closed or paraforestier forest.
Pygopodoidea is a gecko superfamily and the only taxon in the gekkotan subclade Pygopodomorpha. The clade includes three Australasian families: Diplodactylidae, Carphodactylidae, and Pygopodidae. Traditional gekkotan systematics had considered Diplodactylidae and Carphodactylidae as subfamilies of the family Gekkonidae, but recent molecular work have placed Pygopodidae within Gekkonidae making it paraphyletic. These analyses have shown support of Pygopodidae and Carphodactylidae being sister taxa, with Diplodactylidae occupying a basal position in Pygopodoidea.