The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
A gold dust day gecko rests on a hala tree overlooking Kuau Cove last month. The gecko, native to Madagascar, is one of eight gecko and skink species found in Hawaii. All are thought to have been introduced by humans. According to the Maui Invasive Species Committee website, all gold dust day geckos in the state may be traced to eight lizards released on Oahu by a University of Hawaii student in 1974 after they were illegally smuggled into the state. The species was first reported in Kihei in the 1990s. Feeding on insects, nectar and small lizards, hunting both day and night, the omnivorous gold dust day geckos are believed to have an advantage over other geckos and may be displacing other species around porch lights, such as the mourning gecko and common house gecko.
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