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Indo-Pacific Gecko - Hemidactylus garnotii

Florida's Exotic Wildlife. Species detail.

First year: 1963

Extirpated year:

Established status: Populations are confirmed breeding and apparently self-sustaining for 10 or more consecutive years.

Estimated Florida range: 30 counties At least 10 years, 7 counties Less than 10 years

Statewide trend: Unknown status

Threats to natives: None known.

Species Account: This gecko is native to southeastern Asia, the East Indies, and many South Sea Islands (Conant and Collins 1991). It is widely distributed in many urban and suburban areas of Florida, and it can even be found in natural habitats, such as mangrove forests (Bartlett and Bartlett 1999), sand pine scrub, and pine rocklands (K. M. Enge, FFWCC, Quincy, personal observation). It is often found on buildings, trees, fences, wooden and cement power poles, and bridge abutments. Of the 7 introduced gecko species in Florida, this one has the widest distribution in Florida (Conant and Collins 1991). This species is expanding its range rapidly and has apparently replaced the long-established Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) in much of southern Florida (Meshaka 1995, Butterfield et al. 1997). A major cause of its rapid geographic expansion is thought to be parthenogenesis, which means it is an all-female species (Kluge and Eckardt 1969, Wilson and Porras 1983). However, the tropical house gecko (H. mabouia), a more recent arrival, is apparently out competing the Indo-Pacific gecko on buildings in some areas (Meshaka 2000). This gecko may be dispersed in shipments of cultivated palm trees (Meshaka 1996). Adults attain a total length of 13 cm (5 in). Although the population consists entirely of females, courtship is indulged in and may be necessary to stimulate egg development. The ground color is a dark grayish-brown during the day and a translucent flesh-white at night. Darker or lighter spots may be present, especially on the tail, which appears vaguely flanged The belly is yellowish, and the underside of the tail is orange, which differentiates it from other geckos in Florida. This species emits faint squeaking sounds (Bartlett and Bartlett 1999).

Habitats: Central or core urban area, Coastal upland, Estuarine community, Exotic plant community, Low density suburban development, areas peripheral to core urban areas, and small towns, Rockland Hammock, Pine Rockland, Flatwoods, Xeric Uplands

click here for description of the regions

Region	First Year	Extirpated Year	Breeding status	Notes
SOUTHWEST	1972?		At least 10 years	(McCoy 1972)
SOUTH	1963		At least 10 years	(King and Krakauer 1966)

County	First Year	Extirpated Year	Breeding status	Notes
ALACHUA	1993		At least 10 years	Gainesville (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
BAKER	1994		Less than 10 years	Maclenny (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
BRADFORD	2001		Less than 10 years	Hampton (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
BREVARD	1978		At least 10 years	Floridana Beach (Myers 1979)
CHARLOTTE	2000		Less than 10 years	Gasparilla Island (Townsend et al. 2002)
CITRUS	1991		At least 10 years	Near Inverness (Stevenson and Crowe 1992)
COLLIER	1980		At least 10 years	Naples (Mitchell and Hadley 1980)
DADE	1963		At least 10 years	Miami (King and Krakauer 1966)
FLAGLER	2001		Less than 10 years	The Whitney Laboratory (Lindsay and Townsend 2001)
HARDEE	1998		Less than 10 years	(Christman et al. 2000)
HERNANDO	1995		Less than 10 years	Hernando Beach (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
HIGHLANDS	1981		At least 10 years	Lake Placid (Meshaka 1995)
INDIAN RIVER	1976		At least 10 years	Wabasso Beach (Myers 1978c)
LEE	1972		At least 10 years	Sanibel Island (McCoy 1972)
LEVY	1993		At least 10 years	Cedar Key (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
MARTIN	1977		At least 10 years	Hobe Sound (Myers 1978c)
MONROE	1981		At least 10 years	Dry Tortugas (Steiner and McLamb 1982)
ORANGE	1983		At least 10 years	Union Park (Smith 1983)
PINELLAS	1993		Less than 10 years	Largo (Crawford and Somma 1993a)
PUTNAM	1991		At least 10 years	Palatka (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
SAINT JOHNS	1988		At least 10 years	Anastasia Island (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
SARASOTA	1983		Not reported breeding
SEMINOLE	1980		At least 10 years	WDW Environmental Protection Lab (Townsend and Krysko 2003)
VOLUSIA	1998		Less than 10 years	South Daytona (Reppas 1999)
SUWANNEE	2004		Less than 10 years	Live Oak (Townsend and Lindsay 2004)
MARION	2003		Less than 10 years	Ocala (Johnston and Johnston 2004)

References

Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999. A field guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston, Texas. 278pp.

Butterfield, B. P., W. E. Meshaka, Jr., and C. Guyer. 1997. Nonindigenous amphibians and reptiles. Pages 123-138 in D. Simberloff, D. C. Schmitz, and T. C. Brown, editors. Strangers in paradise. Impact and management of nonindigenous species in Florida. Island Press, Covelo, California.

Christman, S. P., C. A. Young, S. Gonzalez, K. Hill, G. Navratil, and P. Delis. 2000. New records of amphibians and reptiles from Hardee County, Florida. Herpetological Review 31:116-117.

Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide to amphibians and reptiles of eastern and central North America. Third edition. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. 450pp.

Crawford, D. M., and L. A. Somma. 1993a. Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 24:108-109.

Johnston, G. R., and J. C. Johnston. 2004. Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 35:187.

King, F. W., and T. Krakauer. 1966. The exotic herpetofauna of southeast Florida. Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 29:144-154.

Kluge, A. G., and M. J. Eckardt. 1969. Hemidactylus garnotii Dumeril and Bibron, a triploid all-female species of geckonid lizard. Copeia 1969:651-664.

Lindsay, C. R., and J. H. Townsend. 2001. Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 32:193.

McCoy, C. J. 1972. Hemidactylus garnotii. Herpetological Review 4:23.

Means, R. C. 1999. Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean gecko). Herpetological Review 30:52.

Meshaka, W. E., Jr. 1995. Reproductive cycle and colonization ability of the Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) in south-central Florida. Florida Scientist 58:10-15.

Meshaka, W. E., Jr. 1996. Vagility and the Florida distribution of the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis). Herpetological Review 27:37-40.

Meshaka, W. E., Jr. 2000. Colonization dynamics of two exotic geckos (Hemidactylus garnotii and H. mabouia) in Everglades National Park. Journal of Herpetology 34:163-168.

Mitchell, J. C., and W. B. Hadley. 1980. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 11:80.

Myers, S. 1978c. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 9:107.

Myers, S. 1979. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 10:102-103.

Reppas, A. T. 1999. Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 30:110.

Smith, R. E. 1983. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 14:84.

Steiner, T. M., and L. T. McLamb. 1982. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 13:25.

Stevenson, D., and D. Crowe. 1992. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 23:90.

Townsend, J. H., and C. R. Lindsay. 2004. Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 35:287.

Wilson, L. D., and L. Porras. 1983. The ecological impact of man on the south Florida herpetofauna. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, Special Publication No. 9. 89pp.

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Wild herps photo from Key Biscayne

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