Hemidactylus

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Hemidactylus
Mediterranean house gecko.JPG
Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Subfamily: Gekkoninae
Genus: Hemidactylus
Oken, 1817 [1]
Type species
Gecko tuberculosus
Raddi, 1823
Diversity
190 species, see text
Synonyms

In alphabetical order:

[2]

Hemidactylus is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae. [3] [4] It has 195 [5] described species, newfound ones being described every few years. These geckos are found in all the tropical regions of the world, extending into the subtropical parts of Africa and Europe. They excel in colonizing oceanic islands by rafting on flotsam, and are for example found across most of Polynesia. In some archipelagoes, cryptic species complexes are found. [2] Geckos like to live in and out of houses. They have been introduced to many areas around the world.[ citation needed ]

Contents

This species is closely related to the genus Gehyra , which belongs to the same family in Gekkonidae.

The species are typically known as house geckos, due to their readiness to adapt to and coexist with humans, and can be easily encountered in human habitations.

Taxonomy

This genus was originally established by Lorenz Oken in 1817 for the species at that time known as Hemidactylus tuberculosus, and now described as the tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia). [2] The species name in turn comes from the Greek words ἡμιhemi "half" and δάκτυλοςdáktylos "fingers" because its toes has split or "half" lamella underneath them. [6]

Evolution

The origin of the genus Hemidactylus is still unclear as the higher level phylogeny is not well resolved. Moreover, much of the diversity in this group still remains to be discovered.

Feces

A house gecko will usually confine its excretions to one area of a house. This is sometimes considered a nuisance by home owners, and may stain certain surfaces. [7] The feces are approximately five (5) millimeters in length, two (2) millimeters wide, and dark brown (almost black) in color.

Description

Foot upperside (left) and underside of the Oriental leaf-toed gecko (H. bowringii). HemidactylusFeet.png
Foot upperside (left) and underside of the Oriental leaf-toed gecko (H. bowringii).

The dorsal lepidosis is either uniform or heterogeneous. The pupil of the eye is vertical. Males have pre-anal or femoral pores. Each finger or toe has a slender distal clawed joint, angularly bent and rising from within the extremity of the dilated portion. [8]

The fingers and toes are free, or more or less webbed, and dilated; underneath they bear a straight line running down their lamellae, which is in a pattern resembling a paripinnate compound leaf. [8] This leads to their other and more ambiguous common name, "leaf-toed geckos", used mainly for species from South Asia and its surroundings to prevent confusion with the many "leaf-toed" Gekkota not in Hemidactylus.

Underside of a leaf-toed Gecko. Gecko feet.jpg
Underside of a leaf-toed Gecko.

Some members of the genus, such as H. platyurus, are able to run quadrupedally across water by a partially surface tension-dependent mechanism distinct from the bipedal gait of basilisks. [9]

Communication

Like many other gecko species, species in the genus Hemidactylus are able to communicate with distinct vocalizations. Depending on the species, their vocalizations range from quiet clicks to short squeaks and chirps. For example, the Asian common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is notable for its distinctive chirping.

Species

Juvenile Mediterranean house gecko (H. turcicus) Hemidactylus frenatus.jpg
Juvenile Mediterranean house gecko (H. turcicus)
Juvenile Mediterranean house gecko (H. turcicus) Hemidactylus turcicus.jpg
Juvenile Mediterranean house gecko (H. turcicus)
Adult giant leaf-toed gecko (H. giganteus) from Dindigul (Tamil Nadu, India) Hemidactylus dindigal full.jpg
Adult giant leaf-toed gecko (H. giganteus) from Dindigul (Tamil Nadu, India)
Adult common house gecko (H. frenatus) in Chennai, India Indian house gecko.JPG
Adult common house gecko (H. frenatus) in Chennai, India

Phylogeny

The following phylogeny is from Pyron, et al. (2013), [14] and includes 47 Hemidactylus species. Hemidactylus is a sister group of Cyrtodactylus . [14]

Hemidactylus 

Similar genera

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gekkonidae</span> Family of lizards

Gekkonidae is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (Hemidactylus), the tokay gecko (Gekko), day geckos (Phelsuma), the mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus), and dtellas (Gehyra). Gekkonid geckos occur globally and are particularly diverse in tropical areas. Many species of these geckos exhibit an adhering ability to surfaces through Van der Waals forces utilizing intermolecular forces between molecules of their setae and molecules of the surface they are on.

<i>Asaccus</i> Genus of geckos

Asaccus is a genus of geckos, commonly known as Southwest Asian leaf-toed geckos, in the family Phyllodactylidae.

<i>Hemiphyllodactylus</i> Genus of lizards

Hemiphyllodactylus is a genus of geckos ranging from India and China southward to Southeast Asia and Oceania. Species of Hemiphyllodactylus are commonly known as half leaf-fingered geckos. Many species are known as dwarf geckos or slender geckos.

<i>Cnemaspis</i> Genus of lizards

Cnemaspis is a genus of diurnal (day) geckos found in Asia. With over 100 species, it is one of the most diverse genera of geckos. Molecular phylogenies suggest that the two regional groupings may form distinct clades which are not each other's closest relatives.

<i>Mesalina</i> Genus of lizards

Mesalina is a genus of wall lizards of the family Lacertidae.

<i>Hemidactylus maculatus</i> Species of lizard

Hemidactylus maculatus, also known as the spotted leaf-toed gecko or giant spotted gecko, is a species of large gecko found in the Western Ghats of India and in parts of Sri Lanka.

<i>Cyrtodactylus collegalensis</i> Species of lizard

Cyrtodactylus collegalensis, also known as the Kollegal ground gecko or forest spotted gecko, is a species of gecko found in and around Mysore hills, at the junction of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, in South India. Recent taxonomic works and genetic studies revealed that the formerly-supposed genus is actually a subgenus of the widespread genus Cyrtodactylus. It is often confused with the forest spotted gecko.

<i>Hemidactylus giganteus</i> Species of lizard

Hemidactylus giganteus, also known as the giant leaf-toed gecko, the giant southern tree gecko, or the giant gecko, is a species of gecko endemic to India.

<i>Hemidactylus prashadi</i> Species of lizard

Hemidactylus prashadi, also known commonly as the Bombay leaf-toed gecko or Prashad's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Hemidactylus awashensis is a species of house gecko from Ethiopia. It grows to 54.8 mm (2.16 in) in snout–vent length.

Hemidactylus mandebensis is a species of house gecko from Yemen. It grows to 42 mm (1.7 in) in snout–vent length. It is a relatively small-sized member of the Hemidactylus robustus species group.

Hemidactylus adensis is a species of house gecko from Yemen. It grows to 41.8 mm (1.65 in) in snout–vent length.

Hemidactylus bouvieri, also known commonly as Bouvier's leaf-toed gecko and the Cape Verde leaf-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Cape Verde Islands and is listed as critically endangered. There are two recognized subspecies.

Granchi's leaf-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smith's leaf-toed gecko</span> Species of lizard

Smith's leaf-toed gecko is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Horn of Africa.

<i>Hemidactylus yerburii</i> Species of lizard

Hemidactylus yerburii, also known commonly as the southern leaf-toed gecko, Yerbury's gecko, and Yerburi's leaf-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Western Asia.

Hemidactylus fragilis is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to the Horn of Africa.

Hemidactylus granosus is a species of gecko. It is found on the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt and in Saudi Arabia.

Edwin Nicholas Arnold was a British herpetologist and the Curator of Herpetology at the Natural History Museum, London. Arnold made seminal contributions to the herpetology of Europe and North Africa, especially on geckos and lizards of the family Lacertidae. He discovered and described 36 species and 4 subspecies of reptiles, and wrote A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Europe, which appeared over multiple editions. Arnold died of heart failure on 23 September 2023, at the age of 82.

References

  1. ↑ "Hemidactylus ". Dahms Tierleben. www.dahmstierleben.de
  2. 1 2 3 Lizards of the World (2004). "Hemidactylus". Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2009.
  3. ↑ Uetz, Peter, ed. (2021) [1995]. "Higher Taxa in Extant Reptiles". The Reptile Database. Zoological Museum Hamburg. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Savage, Melissa (2001). "Hemidactylus ". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  5. ↑ Genus Hemidactylus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org. Accessed September 2023.
  6. ↑ Uetz, Peter, ed. (2023) [1995]. "Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès, 1818)". The Reptile Database. Zoology Museum Hamburg. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  7. ↑ "House Geckos".
  8. 1 2 Boulenger, G.A. (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Genus Hemidactylus, p. 82). Fulltext at the Internet Archive
  9. ↑ Nirody, J. A.; Jinn, J.; Libby, T.; Lee, T. J.; Jusufi, A.; Hu, D. L.; Full, R. J. (2018). "Geckos Race Across the Water's Surface Using Multiple Mechanisms". Current Biology. 28 (24): 4046–4051.e2. Bibcode:2018CBio...28E4046N. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.064 . PMID   30528580.
  10. ↑ Angarwal I, Giri VB, Bauer AM (2011). "A new cryptic rock-dwelling Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from south India". Zootaxa2765: 21–37. (Hemidactylus graniticolus, new species).
  11. 1 2 Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Hemidactylus greeffii, p. 107; Cyrtodactylus malcolmsmithi, p. 247).
  12. ↑ Species Hemidactylus greeffii at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  13. ↑ Henle K, Böhme W (2003). "A new species of Hemidactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from West Africa, and comments on species hitherto confused with H. muriceus ". African Journal of Herpetology52 (1) 23–38. (Hemidactylus pseudomuriceus, new species).
  14. 1 2 Pyron, R. Alexander; Burbrink, Frank T.; Wiens, John J. (2013). "A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes". BMC Evolutionary Biology13 (1): 93. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-93
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