Mediterranean house gecko

Mediterranean house gecko, (Hemidactylus turcicus), Chambers County, Texas

The Mediterranean gecko is a very small lizard generally measuring 10–13 cm (4–5 inches) in length,[4] with sticky toe pads, vertical pupils, and large eyes that lack eyelids.[5] Its snout is rounded, about as long as the distance between the eye and the ear opening, 1.25 to 1.3 times the diameter of the orbit; the forehead is slightly concave; the ear opening is oval, oblique, and nearly half the diameter of the eye. Body and limb sizes are moderate. The digits are variable in length, with the inner always well developed; 6 to 8 lamellae are under the inner digits, 8 to 10 are under the fourth finger, and 9 to 11 are under the fourth toe. The head has large granules anteriorly, but posteriorly has minute granules intermixed with round tubercles. The rostrum is four-sided, not twice as broad as deep, with amedial cleft above; the nostril is pierced between the rostrum, the first labial, and three nasals; it has 7 to 10 upper and 6 to 8 lower labials; the mental is large, triangular, and at least twice as long as the adjacent labials; its point is between two large chin-shields, which may be in contact behind it; a smaller chin shield on each side of the larger pair. Upper surface of body covered with minute granules intermixed with large tubercles, which are generally larger than the spaces between them, suboval and trihedral in shape, and arranged in 14 or 16 pretty, regular, longitudinal series. Abdominal scales are small, smooth, roundish-hexagonal, and imbricate. Males have a short angular series of four to 10 (exceptionally two) preanal pores. The tail is cylindrical, slightly depressed, tapering, and covered above with minute scales and a transverse series of large, keeled tubercles, and covered beneath with a series of large, transversely dilated plates. Its color is light brown or grayish above, with darker spots; many of the tubercles and the lower surfaces are white.[6] They may be completely translucent except for the spotting. Some are darker.

They often seek darkness when fleeing. They may be seen alone or in a group up to five together.

Gecko being handled by a human

Native to the Mediterranean region, the "Med gecko" is one of the most successful species of geckos in the world. It has spread over much of the world and established stable populations far from its native range; it holds no threatened or endangered status. It can be found in countries with Mediterranean climates,[7] such as Portugal , Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Israel, Albania, Malta, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, coastal Croatia (except western Istria), Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Adriatic islands, coastal Montenegro, the coastal part of Albania, Cyprus, Turkey, northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, northern Yemen (the Socotra Archipelago), Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya, southern Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, the Balearic Islands (Island Addaya Grande), the Canary Islands (introduced to Gran Canaria and Tenerife), Panama, Puerto Rico, Belize, and Cuba.

As of 2016, it was known from scattered records in the Southwestern United States, including Arizona, California, Nevada, and New Mexico[8] and more extensively in the Southern United States, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia, being particularly well-established in Gulf Coast states in the east.[9] More recently records have been published from several localities in Pennsylvania,[10] and Tennessee.[11][12][13][14][15] It was also reported from Indiana in 2019 but, it was unknown at that time if the individual represented an established population or not.[16]

In Mexico, introductions are known to the states Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán,[17] Baja California,[8] Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora,[18] Durango,[19] and Nuevo León.[20]

Mediterranean house geckos inhabit a wide range of habitats, in areas near human presence such as university campuses, cemeteries, coastal regions, and shrublands. In these urban or suburban areas, they are typically seen in the cracks of old brick buildings. They can also be found in other areas such as mountain cliffs and caves. Their nests can be found in trash piles, attics, or under the baseboards of buildings.[21]

A Mediterranean house gecko in ambush on a nest of a sphecid wasp Sceliphron spirifex

Mediterranean house geckos are nocturnal.[21] They emit a distinctive, high-pitched call somewhat like a squeak or the chirp of a bird, possibly expressing a territorial message. Because of this aggressive behavior, juveniles avoid most interaction with adult geckos. They are voracious predators of moths and small roaches, and are attracted to outdoor lights in search of these prey. They are also attracted by the call of a male decorated cricket (Gryllodes supplicans), though the males are usually safely out of reach in a burrow, because female crickets attracted to the male's call can be intercepted and eaten.[22]

Mediterranean house geckos reach sexual maturity within four months to a year. Male house geckos produce clicking sounds to attract a mate, with the females responding in their own squeaks. They also display copulatory biting, with stronger bites resulting in higher fertilization success. Fertilization is internal. The breeding season is typically from April to August each year and eggs are laid mid-May to August in an average clutch size of two. Female house geckos experience delayed fertilization and can store sperm in a funnel-shaped organ called the infundibulum for up to five months. Because of this, exact gestation time is unknown, but is estimated to be around 40 days. Neither males nor females have been observed providing any parental care, with males going as far as to bite the juveniles. [23]

Primary prey of Mediterranean house geckos has been noted to include crickets, grasshoppers, cockroaches, spiders, beetles, moths, butterflies, ants, isopods, and snails.[4] These geckos are visual hunters; prey selection depends on whether it is alive or dead. Mediterranean house geckos are more likely to choose living prey over dead.[23]

• 
  Mediterranean house gecko, Mugla Province, Turkey
• 
  Scan of the ventral side of a Mediterranean house gecko, showing details of skin and toepads
• 
  Close-up of a foot and toe pads of Mediterranean house gecko, Paphos, Cyprus
• 
  Gecko with prey (longhorn beetle, Cerambycidae) on a wall in Messenia, Greece
• 
  A young Mediterranean house gecko in the process of moulting

• List of reptiles of Italy

• Franklin, Carl J. 1997 Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus. Herpetological Review 28 (2): 96
• Burke, Russell L. 1996 Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus. Herpetological Review 27 (1): 32
• Davis, W.K. 1974 The Mediterranean gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus in Texas J. Herpetol. 8(1): 77–80.
• Dowling, Richard G. 1996 The Mediterranean Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, in Prattville, Alabama Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 21 (11): 203
• Dundee, H. A. 1984 Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean gecko) Herp Review 15 (1): 20
• Frick, Michael G. 1997 Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus Herpetological Review 28 (1): 50
• Husak, Jerry F. 1996 Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus Herpetological Review 27 (4): 211
• Jensen, Steve L.;George, Steven G. 1993 Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean gecko). USA: Louisiana Herpetological Review 24 (4): 154
• Knight, C. Michael 1993 A northern range extension of Hemidactylus turcicus in the United States Dactylus 2 (2): 49-50
• Means, Ryan C. 1999 Geographic distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus Herpetological Review 30 (1): 52
• Proudfoot, Glenn;McCoid, Michael James 1996 Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus Herpetological Review 27 (2): 87
• Ray, John;Cochran, Betsy 1997 Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus Herpetological Review 28 (3): 157
• Williams, Avery A. 1997 Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus Herpetological Review 28 (2): 96

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hemidactylus turcicus.

• Hemidactylus turcicus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
• Institut für Biowissenschaften: H. turcicus image Archived 2012-08-08 at the Wayback Machine
• Species Profile: Mediterranean Gecko by the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
• Nonnatives: Mediterranean Gecko Archived 2017-02-23 at the Wayback Machine by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission