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Mediterranean house gecko
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Reptilia
Order:
Squamata
Family:
Gekkonidae
Genus:
Hemidactylus
Species:
H. turcicus
Binomial name
Hemidactylus turcicus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Native range
The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) 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[1] as represented in its Latin name and also as the moon lizard because it tends to emerge in the evening.[citation needed]
A study in Portugal found H. turcicus to be totally nocturnal, with its highest activity around 02:00.[2] It is insectivorous, rarely exceeds 15 cm (5.9 in) in length, has large, lidless eyes with elliptical pupils, and purple or tan-colored skin with black spots, often with stripes on the tail. Its belly or undersides are somewhat translucent. What impact this gecko has on native wildlife in the regions to which it has been introduced is unknown.[3]
In many parts of the world, the range of H. turcicus is increasing,[1] and unlike many other reptiles, it appears to be highly resistant to pesticides. The increase may be explained as a consequence of having few predators in places where it has been introduced, and also of its tendency to take shelter in the cracks and unseen areas of human homes, for example inside walls. Reliance on human habitation has thus contributed to the species' proliferation, similar to rodents. In some Eastern Mediterranean countries such as Turkey and Cyprus, harming H. turcicus is taboo due to its benign nature, and it is often kept as a house pet.
^ abcAram Agasyan; Aziz Avci; Boris Tuniyev; Jelka Crnobrnja Isailovic; Petros Lymberakis; Claes Andrén; Dan Cogalniceanu; John Wilkinson; Natalia Ananjeva; Nazan Üzüm; Nikolai Orlov; Richard Podloucky; Sako Tuniyev; Uğur Kaya; Milan Vogrin; Claudia Corti; Valentin Pérez Mellado; Paulo Sá-Sousa; Marc Cheylan; Juan Pleguezuelos; Sherif Baha El Din; C. Varol Tok (2009). "Hemidactylus turcicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T157261A5063993. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T157261A5063993.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^Mateus, O. & Jacinto, J.J. (2002): Contribution to the study of Hemidactylus turcicus (Reptilia, Gekkonidae): rhythms of activity and microhabitat in Évora, Portugal. P. 136, in S.P.H. [Sociedade Portuguesa de Herpetologia] & A.H.E. [Associación Herpetológica Española] (coord.) Livro de resumos do VII Congresso Luso-espanhol de Herpetologia / XI Congreso Español de Herpetologia. S.P.H. & A.H.E.. Évora, Portugal.
and South America and the Caribbean. Hemidactylus turcicus, the Mediterraneanhousegecko, is frequently found in and around buildings, and is an introduced...
lizards. They include the Indo-Pacific gecko, brown anole, Texas horned lizard, and Mediterraneanhousegecko. Human predation and habitat destruction...
than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon. Most lizards are...
others. The gekkos are confined to southern Europe (Moorish gecko, Mediterraneanhousegecko) Among the seven species of native turtles, the most widespread...
of geckos, including western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), the barefoot banded gecko (Coleonyx switaki), and the Mediterraneanhousegecko (Hemidactylus...
widespread gecko species, including housegeckos (Hemidactylus), the tokay gecko (Gekko), day geckos (Phelsuma), the mourning gecko (Lepidodactylus), and dtellas...
of geckos, including western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus), the common housegecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), and the Mediterraneanhousegecko (Hemidactylus...
forests and the forest streams. There are 8 reptile species. The Mediterraneanhousegecko, testudo hermanni boettgeri, Balkan pond turtle, sheltopusik,...
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