Geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. Gekkonidae is the largest family of lizards, with over 2000 different species worldwide and many others likely yet to be discovered. The name stems from the Indonesian-Javanese word Tokek, inspired by the sound these animals make.
All geckos, excluding the Eublepharinae subfamily, have no eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane which they lick to clean. Many species will, in defense, expel a foul-smelling material and feces onto their aggressors. There are also many species that will drop their tails in defense, a process called autotomy. Many species are well known for their specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth and vertical surfaces, and even cross indoor ceilings with ease (one hypothesis explains the ability in terms of the van der Waals force). These antics are well-known to people who live in warm regions of the world, where several species of geckos make their home inside human habitations. These species (for example the House Gecko) become part of the indoor menagerie and are often welcome guests, as they feed on insects, including mosquitoes.
The largest species, the Kawekaweau, is only known from a single, stuffed specimen found in the basement of a museum in Marseille, France, and one documented sighting in the wild in 1870. This gecko was 60 cm (24 in) long and it was endemic to New Zealand, where it lived in native forests. It was probably wiped out along with much of the native fauna of these islands in the late 19th century, when new invasive species such as rats and stoats were introduced to the country during European colonization. The smallest gecko, the Jaragua Sphaero, is a mere 1.6 cm long and was discovered in 2001 on a small island off the coast of the Dominican Republic.
Latin Synonyms:
Lacerta Gecko LINNAEUS 1758: 205
Gekko verticellatus LAURENTI 1768 (fide TAYLOR 1963)
Gekko teres LAURENTI 1768
Gekko aculeatus HOUTTUYN 1782 (non Gecko aculeatus SPIX 1825)
Gekko perlatus HOUTTUYN 1782
Gekko guttatus DAUDIN 1802
Gekko verus MERREM 1820: 42
Gekko annulatus KUHL 1820: 132
Gecko Reevesii GRAY 1831
Platydactylus guttatus — DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1836: 328
Gekko tenuis [HALLOWELL 1857]
Gekko indicus [GIRARD 1858]
Gymnodactylus tenuis HALLOWELL 1856 — BOULENGER 1885: 22
Gecko verticillatus [sic] — BOULENGER 1885: 183
Gecko verticillatus [sic] — BOULENGER 1894: 82
Gekko gecko — BARBOUR 1912
Gecko verticillatus — DE ROOIJ 1915: 56
Gekko gecko — TAYLOR 1963: 799
Gekko gecko — KLUGE 1993
Gekko gecko — RÖSLER 1995: 120
Gekko gecko — MANTHEY & GROSSMANN 1997: 231
Gekko gecko — COX et al. 1998: 82
Gekko gecko — ZIEGLER 2002: 165
(www.gekkonids.info)
Published notes on family Gekkoninae:
The Gekkonines are the most successful of the Geckos, with a circumtropical distribution and more than 50 genera. Females characteristically lay two eggs. The eggs tend to be spherical, and possess a hard, calcareous shell. The shell appears to be an adaptation to prevent water loss; the eggs also have a higher resistance to decay than the parchment type eggs of Geckos from Dipldactylidae and Eublepharidae.
(Goin, Goin & Zug, 1978)
Published and recognised distribution range:
North Eastern India & Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Indochina, Southern China, Malaysia, Malaysian Archipelago, Indonesia, Philippines, Sulu Archipelago and East Australasian Archipelago.
(Hermann Seufer 1995)
This species has also been introduced to Florida, Hawaii, Martinique and Belize and is considered an invasive species.
