Paroedura picta
—
Madagascar Ground Gecko
![Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta)](../images/herps/standard/Berenty_Paroedura.jpg)
I found this gecko by flashlight; it was prowling around on the grounds of the Berenty Reserve lodge. I thought I got two good pictures of it but in reality I got one double-exposed bad picture. We did not have much luck with the cheap point-and-shoot camera we had on this trip.
![Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta)](../images/herps/standard/230513070L.jpeg)
![Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta)](../images/herps/standard/230513072L.jpeg)
![Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta)](../images/herps/standard/230513038L.jpeg)
![Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta)](../images/herps/standard/230513064L.jpeg)
My camera gear has definitely improved since the cheap point-and-shoot film camera I had in 1996. Not a single double exposure on the whole trip!
Here is a list of all the reptiles and frogs I saw on this 2023 trip to Madagascar.
![Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta)](../images/herps/standard/230514099L.jpeg)
This species always* has diagonal side stripes that start at the spine and angle down and forward, but beyond that all bets are off.
*In nature there is never** an "always".
**You know what I mean.
![Madagascar Ground Gecko (Paroedura picta)](../images/herps/standard/230515102L.jpeg)
One last individual at a different but nearby reserve.
Printed references:
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. 2007. A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Third Edition
- Glaw, F., Vences, M. 1994. A Fieldguide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar, Second Edition
- Henkel, F., Schmidt, W. 2000. Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar and the Mascarene, Seychelles, and Comoro Islands