Download Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril and Bibron, 1836

Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril and
Bibron, 1836
The common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is a nocturnal,
opportunistic hunter which preys on a wide range of insects and spiders.
It may be commonly found hunting in developed environments on walls
near artificial lights.
The common house gecko is quickly becoming a cosmopolitan species
with introductions to locations throughout the world including
Australasia, Central, South, and part of North America, Africa, many
small islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and new locations in
Asia. Analysis of 189 records of reptiles and amphibians accidentally
imported to New Zealand between 1929 and 2000 showed that three
species of nocturnal, egg-laying, tropical and subtropical “house geckos”
from Asia and the Pacific made up 35% of all interceptions with H.
frenatus comprising 22% of all interceptions (Gill et al. 2001).
The ability of the house gecko to persist outside of its natural range
poses a threat to the survival of ecologically similar endemic geckos
ostensibly by competitive displacement.
The common house gecko displaces the ‘Vulnerable (VU)’, endemic
lesser night gecko, Nactus coindemirensis and the endemic night gecko,
N. durrelli in the Mascarene Islands, from favoured environments
increasing their risk of predation. It has proven to be a major cause in the
decline of, the once thought ‘Extinct in the wild (EW)’, N. coindemirensis
(Cole et al. 2005; Jones & Cole, 2004).
The common house gecko displaces the Pacific island native
Lepidodactylus lugubris in many locations and has demonstrated
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Photo credit: Nik Cole, Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
www.durell.org
superior predation abilities. Experiments have demonstrated that H.
frenatus consumes a disproportionately higher amount of insect prey than
L. lugubris, thereby leaving it with less potential prey which decreases its
body condition, fecundity, and ability to survive (Hanley et al. 1998; Petren
& Case, 1996).
References:
Cole, N.C., Jones, C.G., Harris, S. 2005. The need for enemy-free space: The impact of
an invasive gecko on island endemics. Biological Conservation Volume 125, Issue 4,
October 2005, Pages 467-474.
Gill, B. J; Bejakovich, D; Whitaker, A. H., 2001. Records of foreign reptiles and
amphibians accidentally imported to New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology.
28(3). September, 2001. 351-359.
Hanley, K., Petren, K., Case, T. 1998. An experimental investigation of the competitive
displacement of a native gecko by an invading gecko: no role for parasites. Oecologia
(1998) 115:196±205.
Jones, C. & Cole, N., 2004. Nactus coindemirensis. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species.
Petren, Kenneth; Case, Ted J., 1996. An experimental demonstration of exploitation
competition in an ongoing invasion. Ecology (Washington D C) 77(1) 1996. 118-132.