Common House Gecko

Common House Gecko

Pacific house gecko, Asian house gecko, Wall gecko, House lizard, Moon lizard

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Hemidactylus frenatus
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
5 years
Length
75-150
3-5.9
mminch
mm inch 

The Common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is a small lizard native to Southeast Asia. They are named so because they are often seen climbing walls of houses and other buildings in search of insects attracted to porch lights and are immediately recognizable by their characteristic chirp. These small geckos are non-venomous and not harmful to humans.

Appearance

The body of Common house geckos is covered with small granules and varies in color from pale yellow to grayish-white. They are ectothermic ("cold-blooded") and display a variety of means of thermoregulating through behavior. Like many geckos, this species can lose its tail when alarmed. In parts of Australia and Papua New Guinea, they are often confused with a similar native lizard, the Dubious dtella.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Common house geckos are native to southeast Asia and the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Due to the recent introductions, they now occur in many other countries including the United States, countries in South and Central America, Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. These lizards prefer to live in urban environments, in close proximity to city bounds and villages. Without access to the urban landscape, they inhabit eucalypt woodland, rainforests, open fields, savannas, and deserts. They are often seen beneath rocks or rotting logs, on trees, and around bushes but most commonly they are found on buildings.

Common House Gecko habitat map

Climate zones

Common House Gecko habitat map

Habits and Lifestyle

Common house geckos are solitary and territorial creatures. They can be best defined as quinodiurnal. This means they thermoregulate (bask in the sun) during the daytime and forage at night. During colder months they enter a state of brumation. Common house geckos are not dangerous but may bite if distressed; however, their bite is gentle and will not pierce the skin. When threatened they will hide in their shelter. These geckos communicate with a series of distinct communication calls. The long chirp is used infrequently, and only during aggressive encounters between males. The single chirp is associated with levels of distress within the animal. It has been detected within males more frequently but has been seen in adults, subadults, and juveniles. The multiple chirp is an agonistic and territorial defense. It is the most common of the sounds and has a broad range of intensities it can occupy. This call is typically given more often by an aggressive male, and less often by a female. After this call females will produce a weak response and move.

Group name
Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Common house geckos are carnivores (insectivores). Their diet is made up of cockroaches, termites, some bees and wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, spiders, and several beetle groupings.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
March-July
PREGNANCY DURATION
46 to 62 day
INCUBATION PERIOD
46-62 days
BABY CARRYING
2
INDEPENDENT AGE
at birth
BABY NAME
hatchling
web.animal_clutch_size
2 eggs

Common house geckos have a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system in which both sexes have multiple partners in a single breeding season. They mate from March to July. Females lay 2 eggs usually in crevices to protect them from predators. The incubation period lasts around 46-62 days. Hatchlings are independent at birth and will become reproductively mature within a year.

Population

Population threats

There are no threats to Common house geckos at present.

Population number

According to IUCN, the Common house gecko is locally common and widespread throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.

References

1. Common House Gecko on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_house_gecko
2. Common House Gecko on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/176130/7184890

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