About Hemidactylus turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Hemidactylus turcicus, commonly called the Mediterranean gecko, is a very small lizard that generally reaches 10–13 cm (4–5 inches) in total length. It has sticky toe pads, vertical pupils, and large eyes that lack eyelids. Its snout is rounded, and it is approximately as long as the distance between the eye and ear opening, measuring 1.25 to 1.3 times the diameter of the eye socket (orbit). The forehead is slightly concave, and the ear opening is oval, oblique, and nearly half the diameter of the eye. The body and limbs are moderately sized. Digit length varies across the foot, but the inner digit is always well developed. There are 6 to 8 lamellae under the inner digits, 8 to 10 under the fourth finger, and 9 to 11 under the fourth toe. The front of the head is covered in large granules, while the back of the head has minute granules mixed with round tubercles. The rostral scale is four-sided, less than twice as broad as it is deep, with a medial cleft above it. The nostril is located between the rostral scale, the first upper labial scale, and three nasal scales. This species has 7 to 10 upper labial scales and 6 to 8 lower labial scales. The mental scale is large and triangular, at least twice as long as the adjacent labial scales, with its pointed end positioned between two large chin-shields that may make contact behind it; a smaller chin shield sits on each side of this larger pair. The upper surface of the body is covered in minute granules mixed with large tubercles. These tubercles are generally larger than the gaps between them, are suboval and trihedral in shape, and arranged in 14 or 16 fairly regular longitudinal rows. Abdominal scales are small, smooth, roundish-hexagonal, and overlapping (imbricate). Males have a short angular series of 4 to 10 preanal pores, with 2 being an exceptional count. The tail is cylindrical, slightly flattened, and tapering. Its upper surface is covered in minute scales and transverse rows of large, keeled tubercles, while its lower surface has a row of large, transversely expanded plates. The upper body is light brown or grayish with darker spots; many tubercles and all lower body surfaces are white. Individuals may be completely translucent aside from their spotting, and some individuals have darker overall coloration. When fleeing, Mediterranean geckos often move toward dark areas. They can be found alone, or in groups of five or more individuals. This species is native to the Mediterranean region, and is one of the most widely successful gecko species in the world. It has spread across much of the globe and established stable populations far outside its native range, and it is not classified as threatened or endangered. It occurs in countries with Mediterranean climates including Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Israel, Malta, southern Bulgaria, North Macedonia, coastal Croatia (except western Istria), Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Adriatic islands, coastal Montenegro, coastal Albania, Cyprus, Turkey, northern Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Jordan, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, northern Yemen (the Socotra Archipelago), Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya, southern Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, the Balearic Islands (Island Addaya Grande), the introduced Canary Islands populations of Gran Canaria and Tenerife, Panama, Puerto Rico, Belize, and Cuba. As of 1974, it was recorded from scattered locations in the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Nevada, and New Mexico) and across a larger area of the Southern United States (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia), with particularly well-established populations in eastern Gulf Coast states. More recently, published records document this species in several localities in Pennsylvania and Tennessee. It was also reported from Indiana in 2019, though it was not known at that time whether the individual belonged to an established local population. In Mexico, introduced populations are known from the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora, Durango, and Nuevo León. Mediterranean house geckos occupy a wide range of habitats, most commonly in areas near human activity including university campuses, cemeteries, coastal regions, and shrublands. In these urban or suburban areas, they are typically found in the cracks of old brick buildings. These urban habitats are less structurally complex than more natural settings, which supports the species' widespread success across its introduced range. They can also occur in more natural areas including mountain cliffs and caves. Their nests are found in trash piles, attics, or under building baseboards. Mediterranean house geckos reach sexual maturity between four months and one year after hatching. Males produce clicking sounds to attract mates, and females respond with their own squeaks. This species practices copulatory biting, and stronger bites are associated with higher fertilization success. Fertilization is internal. The breeding season typically runs from April to August each year, and eggs are laid between mid-May and August in an average clutch size of two. Females can experience delayed fertilization, as they can store sperm in a funnel-shaped organ called the infundibulum for up to five months. Because of this, the exact gestation length is unknown, but it is estimated to be around 40–60 days. No parental care from either males or females has been observed; in fact, males have been recorded biting juvenile geckos.
