Hemidactylus frenatus Schlegel, 1836

Kaiser, Hinrich, Carvalho, Venancio Lopes, Ceballos, Jester, Freed, Paul, Heacox, Scott, Lester, Barbara, Richards, Stephen J., Trainor, Colin R., Sanchez, Caitlin & O'Shea, Mark, 2011, The herpetofauna of Timor-Leste: a first report, ZooKeys 109, pp. 19-86 : 36

Hemidactylus frenatus Schlegel, 1836 Fig. 12

Common names.

(E) Common Indo-Pacific House Gecko. *(T) Teki uma baibain (teki = small gecko, uma = house, baibain = common).

Identification.

See comments under Gehyra cf. mutilata .

Collection and natural history.

This species is the most commonly encountered gecko in Asia, and it has also become an established exotic in many places in the New World. As a perianthropic species, it is present on the walls or among the rafters of almost every building, and it is distributed at widely differing altitudes and on the edges of many different habitats. This species is among the several gecko species found in Timor-Leste that may have been introduced during prehistoric colonization or historical inter-island trade. The species appeared absent from pristine habitats such as undeveloped forests, whereas it does occur in coffee plantations.

Figures

Figure 12. Individuals of Hemidactylus frenatus showing two distinctive color patterns. (Top) Specimen from near Baucau, Baucau District (USNM [CMD 526], SVL 47 mm, TL 90 mm) displaying a pattern of distinct dorsolateral stripes complemented by an interrupted, less distinct vertebral stripe. Note the regenerated tail and the bright orange mite infestation on the third toe, as well as an egg visible through the skin. (Bottom) Specimen from near Lore 1 village (USNM [CMD 488], SVL 42 mm, TL 89 mm) with a cryptic dorsal pattern. Photos by Mark O'Shea.