Classification: Introduced Species - recent introductions, both deliberate and accidental, have seen them recorded in the Deep South of the United States.

Description: Hemidactylus frenatus measures about 75-150 mm in length, with a tendency for males to be larger than females. It is usually grey or light brown to beige in color with greenish iridescence and a white underside. They also sometimes appear to be semi-transparent. Their scales are generally uniform anteriorally, but increase in size along the back, and large spiny scales are arranged in bands around the tail. H. frenatus has vertical pupils and has visual sensitivity to the dark. Their eyes are binocular and have a low convergence ratio with a high visual cell density. These modifications allow it to see during nighttime hours, when it is most active. Like most lizards, H. frenatus has four developed legs, a long tail, and a prehensile tongue for catching prey. Another characteristic of these geckos are their enlarged claws and adhesive toe pads. This aids their ability to climb walls and ceilings.

Habitat: The common house gecko appears to prefer areas in the light which are proximal to cracks, or places to escape. Geckos without an immediate opportunity to escape potential danger display behavioural modifications to compensate for this fact, emerging later in the night and retreating earlier in the morning. Without access to the urban landscape, they appear to prefer habitat which is composed of comparatively dense forest or eucalypt woodland which is proximal to closed forest.

Range: The common house gecko is prolific through the tropics and subtropics. It is able to exist in an ecologically analogous place with other Hemidactylus species. Despite being native throughout Southeast Asia, recent introductions, both deliberate and accidental, have seen them recorded in the Deep South of the United States, large parts of tropical and sub-tropical Australia, and many other countries in South and Central America, Caribbean Dominican Republic, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East (Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates). Most recently, this species has also invaded the Caribbean Lesser Antilles, and is now present on Saint Martin (island), Saint Barthelemy, Sint Eustatius, Dominica and Saint Lucia. Their capacity to withstand a wide range of latitudes is also partially facilitated by their capacity to enter a state of brumation during colder months.

Found in these States: FL | HI | TX

Diet: The bulk of the diet of the gecko is made up of invertebrates, primarily hunted around urban structures. Primary invertebrate food sources include cockroaches, termites, some bees and wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, spiders, and several beetle groupings.

Reproduction: H. frenatus has a similar gonad structure to the remainder of the gecko family. It is possible to differentiate the sex of larger common house geckos, with individuals which are larger than 1.6 inches typically displaying differentiated gonads. Differentiated gonads are most clearly seen with a swelling at the entrance to the cloaca caused by the copulatory organs in males. Females lay a maximum of two hard-shelled eggs at any single time, with each descending from a single oviduct. Up to four eggs can exist within the ovaries in differing stages of development. This shortens the potential turn around between egg laying events in gravid females. Females produce a single egg per ovary per cycle. This means they are considered monoautochronic ovulatory.

Status: Listed as Least Concern because this an exceptionally widespread species in its native Southeast Asia, occurs at very high densities in anthropogenic habitats, and is subject to no threats.

Subspecies: None

Taxonomy: