Dwarf yellow-headed gecko

{{Short description|Species of lizard}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Yellow-headed dwarf gecko

| image = Dwarf Yellow-headed gecko edit.jpg

| image_caption = In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

| genus = Lygodactylus

| species = luteopicturatus

| authority = Pasteur, 1964Pasteur, G. 1964. Recherches sur l'évolution des lygodactyles, lézards Afro-Malagaches actuels. Trav. Inst. Scient. Chérif., Ser. Zool., No. 29: 1-132

| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies

| subdivision_ref =

| subdivision =

• L. l. zanzibaritis Pasteur, 1964
• L. l. luteopicturatus Pasteur, 1964

}}

The yellow-headed dwarf gecko or dwarf yellow-headed gecko (Lygodactylus luteopicturatus) is a small species of dwarf gecko found in the rocky areas of southern Kenya, Somalia (maybe as an introduced species), eastern Tanzania, and Zanzibar.[http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lygodactylus&species=luteopicturatus Lygodactylus luteopicturatus], The Reptile Database It can grow up to {{convert|90|mm|in}}, but on average attains a length of {{convert|80|mm|in}} with a snout-vent (body) length of {{convert|39|mm|in}}. The tail length can be equal to the length of the body from snout to the anus (SVL or Snout-Vent Length).[https://terravivagrants.org/grant-makers/group-2-biodiversity-conservation-wildlife/mohamed-bin-zayed-species-conservation-fund/ Geckos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101150202/https://terravivagrants.org/grant-makers/group-2-biodiversity-conservation-wildlife/mohamed-bin-zayed-species-conservation-fund/ |date=2019-11-01 }}, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund

In 2004, the species was synonymized with Lygodactylus picturatus.{{Cite web |title=Lygodactylus picturatus |url=https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Lygodactylus&species=picturatus |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=The Reptile Database}}

The yellow-headed dwarf gecko has a defense mechanism called tail autotomy, where they drop their tails to flee to safety when they are attacked by a predator. However, tail autotomy only gives the gecko an immediate benefit to escape because an autotomized gecko is slower without its tail and has difficulty running on vertical surfaces. Eggs can be found in places that are secure from predators.{{Cite journal|last=Medger|first=Katarina|last2=Verburgt|first2=Luke|last3=Bateman|first3=Philip W.|date=2008|title=The Influence of Tail Autotomy on the Escape Response of the Dwarf Gecko, Lygodactylus|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01445.x|journal=Ethology|language=en|volume=114|issue=1|pages=42–52|doi=10.1111/j.1439-0310.2007.01445.x|issn=1439-0310|hdl=2263/9021|hdl-access=free}}