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House Geckos in the genus Hemidactylus are widely distrib-
uted throughout the tropics and subtropics of the Eastern

Hemisphere. As the common name implies, they often function
as human commensals. Consequently, these lizards are particularly
prone to “hitch-hiking,” and several species have become estab-
lished in the Americas. At least three forms, H. haitianus in the
Greater Antilles, H. leightoni in Colombia, and H. palaichthus in
northeastern South America, have diverged sufficiently from their
ancestors to be considered endemic Neotropical species.

Hemidactylus turcicus, native to the Mediterranean region, is
common in the southeastern United States. It has expanded its
range considerably after presumably arriving originally in Florida.
At least one individual found its way to Missouri in a travel trailer
purchased in Florida. Hemidactylus garnotii, of the South Pacific,
is firmly entrenched in Florida and has established satellite popu-
lations throughout the New World. Hemidactylus mabouia, orig-
inally from sub-Saharan Africa, is widely distributed in eastern
and northern South America and much of the Caribbean area. It
has recently become increasingly common in southern Florida
and apparently is displacing H. turcicus in most of the southern
peninsula. Its passage across the Atlantic from Africa may have
predated human traffic. The most recently established newcomer
is the Asian House Gecko, H. frenatus. All of these species are
effective colonizers that either have or are currently expanding

their ranges, “leap-frogging” from port to port or city to city in
baggage or freight or as eggs in plants and shipments of lumber.

The site of the first established population of H. frenatus in
the Western Hemisphere is unknown, but the species has quickly
become abundant throughout much of the Neotropics, in some
areas apparently displacing related species that had become estab-
lished years earlier. As recently as the mid-1980s, this species was
unknown in Costa Rica. By the early 1990s, it had become ubiq-
uitous in towns and resorts of the Pacific Lowlands and is now
found in Caribbean ports and several inland localities, suggesting
that range expansion is ongoing.

Although individuals occasionally are found in natural habi-
tats, House Geckos usually associate closely with humans. They
are abundant in almost any type of structure, gathering in large
numbers to feed on insects attracted to neon lights of business
establishments or emerging at night from light fixtures and from
behind picture frames to forage on walls and ceilings.

References
Lever, C. 2003. Naturalized Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. Oxford

Univ. Press Inc., New York.

Savage, J.M. 2002. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A
Herpetofauna Between Two Continents, Between Two Seas. University
of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois.

20 IGUANA  •  VOLUME 11, NUMBER 1  •  MARCH 2004

S P E C I E S  P R O F I L E

Asian House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
Robert Powell

Avila University, Kansas City, Missouri

An adult Hemidactylus frenatus on a television screen in Jaco, on the Pacific Coast.

POWELL


