Tropical house gecko | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Gekkonidae |
Genus: | Hemidactylus |
Species: | H. mabouia |
Binomial name | |
Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès, 1818) | |
Synonyms | |
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The tropical house gecko, Afro-American house gecko or cosmopolitan house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) is a species of house gecko native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is also currently found in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, where it has been inadvertently introduced by humans. [3] [4]
Its diet is varied, and includes animals such as isopods, centipedes, [5] spiders, scorpions, cockroaches, beetles, [5] moths, flies, mosquitoes, [6] snails, slugs, frogs, anoles, other geckos and blind snakes, with the most important element being Orthoptera species. [7]
As with many gecko species, it has the ability to vocalize. Its vocalizations range from quiet peeps to rapid short squeaking sounds. They may be heard most easily on a quiet night when they are sitting near an open window.
The tropical house gecko can be found predominantly in urban locations.
Tropical house geckos are mainly nocturnal and are voracious hunters of nocturnal flying and crawling insects. They have learned to wait near outside wall-mounted lighting fixtures so as to catch the insects that are drawn to the light.
In some Caribbean cultures it is considered good luck to have a tropical house gecko residing in one's home, and certainly they do eat a lot of household insect pests. However, the feces of the tropical house gecko are approximately 5 mm (0.20 in) long, 2 mm (0.079 in) wide, and dark brown (almost black) in color. The gecko will usually confine its feces to one area of a home, but this can present as a problem to humans if that area of the home happens to include a pale-colored carpet, drapes, or any other easily stained surface. The stains are not easily removed, and the droppings have to be physically scooped up as well. [8]
Despite actually being harmless, the common house gecko or 'wood slave' is considered by some in Trinidad & Tobago to be a bad omen, and to have a poisonous touch. This is an old superstition and, in reality the house gecko is not only harmless, but also beneficial due to its hunting prey including mosquitos and cockroaches.
Hemidactylus is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae. It has 195 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. Geckos like to live in and out of houses. They have been introduced to Australia.
Amaral's Brazilian gecko is a species of nocturnal geckos from the arid Jalapão Region, Minas Gerais/Bahia (Brazil). It is a bluish-gray, oviparous tree-dwelling species, feeding on herbivorous insects and other invertebrates. It has immovable, or fixed eyelids. Being nocturnal, it has vertically oriented pupils. They have a life span of about 6–13 years and are sexually mature at 6–9 months old. They are about 13 cm long and 2 cm wide. They cannot change their colour. When attacked by a bird, they run in circles, confusing the enemy. When attacked by a ground animal, they climb a high tree, run in tall grass, or try to hide under leaves, rocks, and other things they can find. They are one of the smartest geckos on the earth, and are not endangered.
The rough-snouted giant gecko, also known as the greater rough-snouted gecko or tough-snouted gecko, is a species of gecko found in New Caledonia.
Uroplatus ebenaui, commonly known as Ebenau's leaf-tailed gecko, the Nosy Be flat-tail gecko, and the spearpoint leaf-tail gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Madagascar.
The Oriental leaf-toed gecko, also known commonly as the Asian smooth gecko, Bowring's gecko, Bowring's smooth gecko, and the Sikkimese dark-spotted gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to East Asia.
The Indo-Pacific gecko, also known commonly as Garnot's house gecko, fox gecko, and the Assam greyish brown gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found in India, across Southeast Asia, Australia, and throughout Polynesia. Adults are about 4 to 5 in in total length. They are seen as dark gray or brown with light markings in daylight and a pale, translucent colour at night. The belly is orange or yellow. The head has a long, narrow snout, hence the name fox gecko. The flattened tail has a row of spiny scales on the lateral edges. The species is parthenogenic – all individuals are female and lay eggs that hatch without requiring male fertilisation.
Leschenault's leaf-toed gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to South Asia and parts of West Asia. It is often found inside homes. Its scientific name commemorates French botanist Jean Baptiste Leschenault de la Tour.
The flat-tailed house gecko, also known as the frilled house gecko or Asian house gecko, is a species of Gekkonidae native to southeastern and southern Asia. The species is sometimes classified under the genus Cosymbotus.
The Mediterranean house gecko is a species of house gecko native to the Mediterranean region, from which it has spread to many parts of the world including parts of East Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the Southern and Southeastern United States. It is commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name and also as the moon lizard because it tends to emerge in the evening.
The common house gecko is a gecko native to South and Southeast Asia as well as Near Oceania. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tiktiki, chipkali or moon lizard.
Hemidactylus foudaii, also known commonly as the Elba gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to North Africa.
The wildlife of Réunion is composed of its flora, fauna and funga. Being a small island, it only has nine native species of mammals, but ninety-one species of birds.
The dubious dtella, native Australian house gecko, or dubious four-clawed gecko is a species of gecko in the genus Gehyra, native to Northeastern Australia. The lizard is found in a variety of habitats, including acacia and eucalyptus woodlands, and in human-developed habitats, such as house walls in urban areas. Its urban presence makes it known as a common house gecko in Queensland. These geckos are often confused with the Asian common house gecko, which was introduced to Australia from Indonesia, but G. dubia has distinct rounded feet and quieter calls.
Choleoeimeria is a genus of alveolate parasites that infect the biliary tracts of reptiles. Morphologically they are similar to the Eimeria, to whom they are closely related. The genus was described in 1989 by Paperna and Landsberg.
The northern leaf-tailed gecko is a species of the genus Saltuarius, the Australian leaf-tailed geckos.
Greeff's giant gecko, also known commonly as Greeff's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is found on islands in the Gulf of Guinea off the east coast of Africa.
Kamdem Toham's gecko is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to western Central Africa.
The Tasmanian leaf-toed gecko, also known commonly as Tasman's tropical house gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Zimbabwe.
Hemidactylus taylori, also known commonly as Taylor's house gecko and Taylor's Somali half-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Somalia.