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Lepidodactylus lugubris
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Gekkonidae
Genus:	Lepidodactylus
Species:	L. lugubris
Binomial name
	Lepidodactylus lugubris; (Duméril & Bibron, 1836)
Synonyms
	Platydactylus lugubris; Platydactylus crepuscularis; Amydosaurus lugubris; Peropus neglectus; Hemidactylus meijeri; Dactyloperus pomareae; Peripia cantoris; Peripia lugubris; Peripia meyeri; Peripia mysorensis; Peripia ornata; Peropus roseus; Peropus variegatus ogasawarasimae; Gecko harrieti; Gecko lugubris; Gymnodactylus caudeloti; Lepidodactylus crepuscularis; Lepidodactylus roseus; Lepidodactylus candeloti; Lepidodactylus ceylonensis; Lepidodactylus divergens; Lepidodactylus mysorensis; Gehyra variegata ogasawarasimae; Gehyra ogasawarisimae; Gehyra iogasawarasinae;

Lepidodactylus lugubris, known as the mourning gecko or common smooth-scaled gecko, is a species of lizard, a gecko of the family Gekkonidae.

Description

Lepidodactylus lugubris measure 8.5–10 cm in length including tail (4–4.4 cm snout-to-vent).^[1]^[2] L. lugubris is cryptically coloured, typically light to dark tan with dark spots down the length of its back and a brown strip from the ear to the tip of the nose.^[1] This species is capable of changing color, and so the same individual may appear light or dark at different times during the day.

Behavior and ecology

L. lugubris is primarily nocturnal, but is occasionally encountered exposed but near cover during the day.^[3]^[4]^[1]

This species is nearly all female, and reproduces via parthenogenesis. While males occasionally occur, they are very rare and often sterile.^[2] Females lay 1–2 eggs at a time, and glue them to surfaces in protected locations. Clutches are laid every 4–6 weeks.^[2]

The obligate parthenogenetic mechanism involves premeiotic endoreplication of the chromosomes.^[5]

Distribution

This species is widespread in coastal regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Australia (Cocos Island), Western Samoa, Guam, the Society Islands, Pitcairn, and the Mascarene Islands.

It has been introduced widely in the Neotropics, including in Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Florida, The Bahamas, Ecuador (including the Galapagos), Colombia and Chile, as well as to Hawai'i and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

Diet

L. lugubris are omnivorous. In the wild, they eat a varied diet of insects, spiders, amphipods, pill bugs, fruit, nectar, pollen, and even their own eggs.^[1]^[6] They will also feed on jam, sugar, sweetened drinks, and milk, if given the opportunity.^[6]

Captivity

L. lugubris are occasionally kept as pets due to their simple care requirements and social nature.^[1] Because they are parthenogenic, these geckos reproduce well in captivity and thus most individuals kept as pets are captive-bred.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e McKeown, Sean (1996). A field guide to reptiles and amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Los Osos, Calif., U.S.A.: Diamond Head Publishing. ISBN 0-9650731-0-6. OCLC 35357345.
^ ^a ^b ^c Griffing, Aaron; Sanger, Thomas; Matamoros, Itzel; Nielsen, Stuart; Gamble, Tony (2018-06-29). "Protocols for Husbandry and Embryo Collection of a Parthenogenetic Gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris (Squamata: Gekkonidae)". Herpetological Review. 49: 230–235.
^ Gamble, Tony; Greenbaum, Eli; Jackman, Todd R.; Bauer, Aaron M. (2015-08-01). "Into the light: diurnality has evolved multiple times in geckos". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 115 (4): 896–910. doi:10.1111/bij.12536. ISSN 0024-4066.
^ "Mourning Gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris) | Tropical Herping". www.tropicalherping.com. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
^ Dedukh D, Altmanová M, Klíma J, Kratochvíl L (April 2022). "Premeiotic endoreplication is essential for obligate parthenogenesis in geckos". Development. 149 (7). doi:10.1242/dev.200345. PMID 35388415.
^ ^a ^b "Mourning Gecko (Lepidodactylus lugubris)".

Boissinot, Stéphane; Ineich, Ivan; Thaler, Louis; Guillaume, Claude-P (1997). "Hybrid Origin and Clonal Diversity in the Parthenogenetic Gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris in French Polynesia". Journal of Herpetology. 31 (2): 295–298. doi:10.2307/1565401. JSTOR 1565401.
Chazeau, Jean; Bauer, Aaron M (1991). "Lepidodactylus lugubris [distribution in New Caledonia]". Herpetological Review. 22 (3): 103.
Cuéllar, Orlando; Kluge, Arnold G (1972). "Natural parthenogenesis in the gekkonid lizard Lepidodactylus lugubris". Journal of Genetics. 61 (1): 14–26. doi:10.1007/BF02984098. S2CID 41290668.
Cuellar, Orlando (1984). "Histocompatibility in Hawaiian and Polynesian populations of the parthenogenetic gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris". Evolution. 38 (1): 176–185. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1984.tb00270.x. PMID 28556082. S2CID 6809269.
Hanley, Kathryn A; Bolger, Douglas T; Case, Ted (1994). "Comparative ecology of sexual and asexual gecko species (Lepidodactylus) in French Polynesia". Evolutionary Ecology. 8 (4): 435–454. Bibcode:1994EvEco...8..438H. doi:10.1007/BF01238194. S2CID 21626724.
Henderson, R. W., VILLA, J., & DIXON, J. R. 1976 Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). A recent addition to the herpetofauna of Nicaragua. Herpetol. Rev. 7:173.
Jarecki, L. & Lazell, J.D. 1987 Zur Grösse und Dichte einer Population von Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron 1836) in Aiea, Hawaii (Sauria: Gekkonidae). Salamandra 23 (2/3): 176-178
Kikukawa, Akira 1999 Geographic distribution. Lepidodactylus lugubris Herpetological Review 30 (1): 52
Mau, K.-G. 1978 Nachweis natürlicher Parthenogenese bei Lepidodactylus lugubris durch Gefangenschaftsnachzucht (Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae). Salamandra 14 (2): 90-97
Pasteur, G.; Agnese, J.-F.; Blanc, C. P.; Pastuer, N. 1987 Polyclony and low relative heterozygosity in a widespread unisexual vertebrate, Lepidodactylus lugubris (Sauria) Genetica 75: 71-79
Röll, B. 2002 Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron). Sauria (Suppl.) 24 (3): 545-550
Rösler, Herbert 1992 Beobachtungen an drei Männchen des parthenogenetischen Geckos Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron 1836). Sauria 14 (3): 25-26
Sengoku, Showichi 1998 Geographic Distribution. Lepidodactylus lugubris Herpetological Review 29 (2): 110
Turner, Grant; Green, Darren 1996 Notes on the mourning gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris in the Daintree region Herpetofauna (Sydney) 26 (1): 5-7
Villa, Jaime D. 1993 Lepidodactylus lugubris (mourning gecko). Nicaragua: Zelaya Herpetological Review 24 (3): 109
Yamashiro, Saiko; Ota, Hidetoshi 1998 Discovery of a male phenotype of the Parthenogenetic gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris, on Ishigakijima Island of the Yaeyama Group, Ryūkyū Archipelago Japanese Journal of Herpetology 17 (4): 152-155
Guerreiro, Manuel.; Graterol, Gabriel.; 2012 PRIMER REGISTRO DE LEPIDODACTYLUS LUGUBRIS DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1836 (REPTILIA: GEKKONIDAE) PARA VENEZUELA herpetotropicos; 6(12):15-16.