Lepidodactylus tepukapili

Lepidodactylus tepukapili is a species of gecko, which is known as the Tuvalu forest gecko and is known in the Tuvaluan language as moko or pili.^[1] It is the only recorded vertebrate that is endemic to Tuvalu.^[2][3] It has been located on Fuagea (also called Fuakea) and on Tepuka.^[2][4]

Lepidodactylus tepukapili
Top view of Lepidodactylus tepukapili
Bottom view of Lepidodactylus tepukapili
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Gekkota
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Lepidodactylus
Species:	L. tepukapili
Binomial name
Lepidodactylus tepukapili Zug, Watling, Alefaio, Alefaio, & Ludescher, 2003

Lepidodactylus tepukapili's naming is based upon the Tuvaluan language words for "small lizard" and the island of Tepuka, where specimens were first discovered.^[5]

In 2021, the IUCN published its assessment of the Tuvalu forest gecko, classifying it as Critically Endangered due to the ongoing threat of sea-level rise, as related to anthropogenic climate change. The two small low-lying islands on which it occurs average just 2 metres above sea level. IUCN Red List.^[6]