The Data on the Reproductive Biology of the Satanic Leaf-Tailed Geko, Uroplatus phantasticus (Squamata, Gekkonidae), at the BION Terrarium Center as a Contribution to ex situ Offspring Programs

Abstract

This paper represents the results of a project on mass breeding of satanic leaf-tailed geckos (Uroplatus phantasticus Boulenger, 1888) in controlled laboratory conditions of BION Terrarium Center (Kyiv, Ukraine) in 2020. Given the growing popularity of U. phantasticus among hobbyists all over the world, it is important to develop a method of mass breeding of the species in conditions of herpetoculture. The work provides statistical data on the duration of gestation and incubation of eggs, obtained from a fairly large sample. The mean duration of gestation period for females (n = 119; exact counts of inter-clutch periods) was 34 days (min = 12, max = 64). The average duration of incubation was 94 days (min = 67, max = 130). The work also contains information on peculiarities of mating behavior, breeding ecology, copulation, percentage of infertile eggs and experience of maintaining a breeding stock with number of females exceeding that of males. Such information and its analysis are of particular scientific and practical value for the development of management plans for the conservation of the species, both in the wild and ex situ.