Indo-Pacific Gecko (Hemidactylus garnotii)

CENTRAL FLORIDA CRITTER OF THE DAY: Indo-Pacific Gecko (Hemidactylus garnotii)

Non-native invasive species.  I signed up and reported my sighting to the EDDMaps.

You can be a citizen scientist too! https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/report/

This critter has had me perplexed for a few weeks.  I always see it at night when I let the dogs in/out for the trip out of the day. This was the first time it was close enough to photograph and identify.

This species was first observed in Florida in 1963 and apparently arrived via Cargo (source: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/reptiles/geckos/)

Hemidactylus garnotii is an all female, parthenogenetic species (Kluge and Eckardt 1969). “considered to be primarily nocturnal”

Learn more: https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/E0/02/12/74/00001/klowden_g.pdf (large file)

###