Hemidactylus parvimaculatus

Hemidactylus parvimaculatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Hemidactylus
Species:
H. parvimaculatus
Binomial name
Hemidactylus parvimaculatus
Synonyms[2]
  • Hemidactylus brookii parvimaculatus Deraniyagala, 1953
  • Hemidactylus parvimaculatus – Bauer et al., 2010; Rösler and Glaw, 2010

Hemidactylus parvimaculatus, also known as the spotted house gecko[2] or the Sri Lankan house gecko,[3] is a species of gecko from South Asia and Indian Ocean.[2]

Description

Hemidactylus parvimaculatus can grow to 13 cm (5 in) in length. The body has many tubercles and the tail has rings of small spines. Coloration is light grey to tan; there are dark blotches that form three rows along the back. The belly is pinkish-cream.[3]

Distribution

This gecko is found in Sri Lanka, southern India, Reunion, Mauritius and Rodrigues, Moheli (Comoro Islands), Maldives, and Mascarene Islands.[2] There are also introduced populations in Bangkok, Thailand,[3] and in the southern United States.[2]

Ecology

In Sri Lanka, Hemidactylus parvimaculatus has been recorded to prey upon Ramanella variegata frogs[4] and insects. It can also be cannibalistic.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Hemidactylus parvimaculatus | IUCN RedList". iucnredlist.org.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hemidactylus parvimaculatus at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 29 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Sri Lankan House Gecko". Reptiles and Amphibians of Thailand. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. ^ Karunarathna, DMS Suranjan & Amarasinghe, AA Thasun (2011). "Hemidactylus parvimaculatus Deraniyagala, 1953 (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) feeds on Ramanella variegata (Stoliczka, 1872) (Amphibia: Microhylidae) in Sri Lanka". Taprobanica. 2 (2): 104. doi:10.4038/tapro.v2i2.3149.
  5. ^ "Spotted House Gecko (Hemidactylus parvimaculatus)". Biodiversity of Sri Lanka. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2021.