Florida's Exotic Wildlife. Species detail.
First year: 1963
Extirpated year:
Established status: Populations
are confirmed breeding and apparently self-sustaining for 10 or
more consecutive years.
Estimated Florida range: 30
counties At least 10 years, 7 counties Less than 10
years
Statewide trend: Unknown
status
|
Photograph by Kevin M. Enge © 2003
|
Threats to natives: None
known.
Species Account: This gecko is
native to southeastern Asia, the East Indies, and many South Sea
Islands (Conant and Collins 1991). It is widely distributed in many
urban and suburban areas of Florida, and it can even be found in
natural habitats, such as mangrove forests (Bartlett and Bartlett
1999), sand pine scrub, and pine rocklands (K. M. Enge, FFWCC,
Quincy, personal observation). It is often found on buildings,
trees, fences, wooden and cement power poles, and bridge abutments.
Of the 7 introduced gecko species in Florida, this one has the
widest distribution in Florida (Conant and Collins 1991). This
species is expanding its range rapidly and has apparently replaced
the long-established Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) in
much of southern Florida (Meshaka 1995, Butterfield et al. 1997). A
major cause of its rapid geographic expansion is thought to be
parthenogenesis, which means it is an all-female species (Kluge and
Eckardt 1969, Wilson and Porras 1983). However, the tropical house
gecko (H. mabouia), a more recent arrival, is apparently out
competing the Indo-Pacific gecko on buildings in some areas
(Meshaka 2000). This gecko may be dispersed in shipments of
cultivated palm trees (Meshaka 1996). Adults attain a total length
of 13 cm (5 in). Although the population consists entirely of
females, courtship is indulged in and may be necessary to stimulate
egg development. The ground color is a dark grayish-brown during
the day and a translucent flesh-white at night. Darker or lighter
spots may be present, especially on the tail, which appears vaguely
flanged The belly is yellowish, and the underside of the tail is
orange, which differentiates it from other geckos in Florida. This
species emits faint squeaking sounds (Bartlett and Bartlett
1999).
Habitats: Central or core urban
area, Coastal upland, Estuarine community, Exotic plant community,
Low density suburban development, areas peripheral to core urban
areas, and small towns, Rockland Hammock, Pine Rockland, Flatwoods,
Xeric Uplands
| Region |
First Year |
Extirpated Year |
Breeding status |
Notes |
| SOUTHWEST |
1972? |
|
At least 10 years |
(McCoy 1972) |
| SOUTH |
1963 |
|
At least 10 years |
(King and Krakauer 1966) |
| County |
First Year |
Extirpated Year |
Breeding status |
Notes |
| ALACHUA |
1993 |
|
At least 10 years |
Gainesville (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| BAKER |
1994 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Maclenny (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| BRADFORD |
2001 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Hampton (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| BREVARD |
1978 |
|
At least 10 years |
Floridana Beach (Myers 1979) |
| CHARLOTTE |
2000 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Gasparilla Island (Townsend et al. 2002) |
| CITRUS |
1991 |
|
At least 10 years |
Near Inverness (Stevenson and Crowe 1992) |
| COLLIER |
1980 |
|
At least 10 years |
Naples (Mitchell and Hadley 1980) |
| DADE |
1963 |
|
At least 10 years |
Miami (King and Krakauer 1966) |
| FLAGLER |
2001 |
|
Less than 10 years |
The Whitney Laboratory (Lindsay and Townsend 2001) |
| HARDEE |
1998 |
|
Less than 10 years |
(Christman et al. 2000) |
| HERNANDO |
1995 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Hernando Beach (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| HIGHLANDS |
1981 |
|
At least 10 years |
Lake Placid (Meshaka 1995) |
| INDIAN RIVER |
1976 |
|
At least 10 years |
Wabasso Beach (Myers 1978c) |
| LEE |
1972 |
|
At least 10 years |
Sanibel Island (McCoy 1972) |
| LEVY |
1993 |
|
At least 10 years |
Cedar Key (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| MARTIN |
1977 |
|
At least 10 years |
Hobe Sound (Myers 1978c) |
| MONROE |
1981 |
|
At least 10 years |
Dry Tortugas (Steiner and McLamb 1982) |
| ORANGE |
1983 |
|
At least 10 years |
Union Park (Smith 1983) |
| PINELLAS |
1993 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Largo (Crawford and Somma 1993a) |
| PUTNAM |
1991 |
|
At least 10 years |
Palatka (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| SAINT JOHNS |
1988 |
|
At least 10 years |
Anastasia Island (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| SARASOTA |
1983 |
|
Not reported breeding |
Anastasia Island (Townsend and Krysko 2003) |
| SEMINOLE |
1980 |
|
At least 10 years |
WDW Environmental Protection Lab (Townsend and Krysko
2003) |
| VOLUSIA |
1998 |
|
Less than 10 years |
South Daytona (Reppas 1999) |
| SUWANNEE |
2004 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Live Oak (Townsend and Lindsay 2004) |
| MARION |
2003 |
|
Less than 10 years |
Ocala (Johnston and Johnston 2004) |
References
Bartlett, R. D., and P. P. Bartlett. 1999. A field
guide to Florida reptiles and amphibians. Gulf Publishing Company,
Houston, Texas. 278pp.
Butterfield, B. P., W. E. Meshaka, Jr., and C.
Guyer. 1997. Nonindigenous amphibians and reptiles. Pages 123-138
in D. Simberloff, D. C. Schmitz, and T. C. Brown, editors.
Strangers in paradise. Impact and management of nonindigenous
species in Florida. Island Press, Covelo, California.
Christman, S. P., C. A. Young, S. Gonzalez, K.
Hill, G. Navratil, and P. Delis. 2000. New records of amphibians
and reptiles from Hardee County, Florida. Herpetological Review
31:116-117.
Conant, R., and J. T. Collins. 1991. A field guide
to amphibians and reptiles of eastern and central North America.
Third edition. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
450pp.
Crawford, D. M., and L. A. Somma. 1993a. Geographic
distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific gecko).
Herpetological Review 24:108-109.
Johnston, G. R., and J. C. Johnston. 2004.
Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific
gecko). Herpetological Review 35:187.
King, F. W., and T. Krakauer. 1966. The exotic
herpetofauna of southeast Florida. Quarterly Journal of the Florida
Academy of Sciences 29:144-154.
Kluge, A. G., and M. J. Eckardt. 1969. Hemidactylus
garnotii Dumeril and Bibron, a triploid all-female species of
geckonid lizard. Copeia 1969:651-664.
Lindsay, C. R., and J. H. Townsend. 2001.
Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific
gecko). Herpetological Review 32:193.
McCoy, C. J. 1972. Hemidactylus garnotii.
Herpetological Review 4:23.
Means, R. C. 1999. Hemidactylus turcicus
(Mediterranean gecko). Herpetological Review 30:52.
Meshaka, W. E., Jr. 1995. Reproductive cycle and
colonization ability of the Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus
turcicus) in south-central Florida. Florida Scientist 58:10-15.
Meshaka, W. E., Jr. 1996. Vagility and the Florida
distribution of the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis).
Herpetological Review 27:37-40.
Meshaka, W. E., Jr. 2000. Colonization dynamics of
two exotic geckos (Hemidactylus garnotii and H. mabouia) in
Everglades National Park. Journal of Herpetology 34:163-168.
Mitchell, J. C., and W. B. Hadley. 1980.
Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review
11:80.
Myers, S. 1978c. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific
gecko). Herpetological Review 9:107.
Myers, S. 1979. Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific
gecko). Herpetological Review 10:102-103.
Reppas, A. T. 1999. Hemidactylus garnotii
(Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 30:110.
Smith, R. E. 1983. Hemidactylus garnoti
(Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 14:84.
Steiner, T. M., and L. T. McLamb. 1982.
Hemidactylus garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review
13:25.
Stevenson, D., and D. Crowe. 1992. Hemidactylus
garnoti (Indo-Pacific gecko). Herpetological Review 23:90.
Townsend, J. H., and C. R. Lindsay. 2004.
Geographic distribution: Hemidactylus garnotii (Indo-Pacific
gecko). Herpetological Review 35:287.
Wilson, L. D., and L. Porras. 1983. The ecological
impact of man on the south Florida herpetofauna. University of
Kansas Museum of Natural History, Special Publication No. 9.
89pp.
Links to more information
Wild herps photo from Key Biscayne
Back to
Nonnative Reptiles
|
Persons with Disabilities