TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT SEX DETERMINATION IN THE LEOPARD GECKO, EUBLEPHARIS-MACULARIUS

The leopard gecko, Eublepharis macularius, has temperature-dependent s ex determination (TSD). Previous reports have shown that females are p roduced predominately at cool incubation temperatures and males are pr oduced predominately at warm incubation temperatures (Pattern Ib). We report here that incubation at even higher temperatures (34 and 35-deg rees-C) produces mostly females (Pattern II). The lethal maximum const ant incubation temperature for this species appears to be just above 3 5-degrees-C. Although a previous study indicated that females from a w arm incubation temperature (32-degrees-C) failed to lay eggs, we found that 12 of 14 mature females incubated at 32.5-degrees-C, and 5 of 6 mature females incubated at 34-degrees-C produced fertile eggs and via ble hatchlings.