
Although variable, male Bridled Forest Geckos are usually quite brilliantly colored.
It is often said that good things come in small packages, and this is certainly the case with the tiny geckos of the genus
Gonatodes. Most are adult at an overall length of 3 ½ to 4 inches of which half is tail. IMO the little Amazonian species known as the Bridled Forest Gecko,
G. humeralis, is a perfect example. I’ll admit that the females of all species in this genus are much less colorful than the males, and this is especially so when the males are in their breeding finery. The females are grayish with various darker markings and mottlings. Males, on the other hand, have an olive(ish) ground color dotted dorsally with pale to bright red and laterally with a mixture of black and reddish dots. Males also have a bridle-shaped marking of bluish-white as well as bluish-white markings atop the head, anterior to each eye and on the nosetip and yellow labial scales. These markings may all be pale when the lizard is quiet, but invariably brighten during courtship and actual breeding. A clutch consists of a single egg but several clutches may be produced annually.
Primarily diurnal, this little gecko is often seen on the buildings and plantings at Madre Selva Biological Preserve. It seems most common in clearings but is occasionally seen sleeping on broad-leafed plants in nearby rain-forest
As we move deeper into the rain-forest this species seems to be replaced by the Collared Forest Gecko,
G. concinnatus.
A female Bridled Forest Gecko usually has a strongly banded tail.
Bridled Forest Geckos are often commonly seen in clearings and camping sites.