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Hemidactylus

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Hemidactylus is a genus of the common gecko family, Gekkonidae.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="ADW">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has 194<ref>Template:EMBL genus www.reptile-database.org. Accessed September 2023.</ref> described species, newfound ones being described every few years. These geckos are found in all the tropical regions of the world, extending into the subtropical parts of Africa and Europe. They excel in colonizing oceanic islands by rafting on flotsam, and are for example found across most of Polynesia. In some archipelagoes, cryptic species complexes are found.<ref name="lotw2004">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Geckos like to live in and out of houses. They have been introduced to many areas around the world.Template:Citation needed

This species is closely related to the genus Gehyra, which belongs to the same family in Gekkonidae.

The species are typically known as house geckos, due to their readiness to adapt to and coexist with humans, and can be easily encountered in human habitations.

TaxonomyEdit

This genus was originally established by Lorenz Oken in 1817 for the species at that time known as Hemidactylus tuberculosus, and now described as the tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia).<ref name = lotw2004 /> The species name in turn comes from the Greek words {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} hemi "half" and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} dáktylos "fingers" because its toes has split or "half" lamella underneath them.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

EvolutionEdit

The origin of the genus Hemidactylus is still unclear as the higher level phylogeny is not well resolved. Moreover, much of the diversity in this group still remains to be discovered.

FecesEdit

A house gecko will usually confine its excretions to one area of a house. This is sometimes considered a nuisance by home owners, and may stain certain surfaces.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The feces are approximately five (5) millimeters in length, two (2) millimeters wide, and dark brown (almost black) in color.

DescriptionEdit

File:HemidactylusFeet.png
Foot upperside (left) and underside of the Oriental leaf-toed gecko (H. bowringii).

The dorsal scale pattern is either uniform or heterogeneous. The pupil of the eye is vertical. Males have pre-anal or femoral pores. Each finger or toe has a slender distal clawed joint, angularly bent and rising from within the extremity of the dilated portion.<ref name="Boulenger (1890)">Boulenger, G.A. (1890). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Reptilia and Batrachia. London: Secretary of State for India in Council. (Taylor and Francis, printers). xviii + 541 pp. (Genus Hemidactylus, p. 82). Fulltext at the Internet Archive</ref>

The fingers and toes are free, or more or less webbed, and dilated; underneath they bear a straight line running down their lamellae, which is in a pattern resembling a paripinnate compound leaf.<ref name="Boulenger (1890)"/> This leads to their other and more ambiguous common name, "leaf-toed geckos", used mainly for species from South Asia and its surroundings to prevent confusion with the many "leaf-toed" Gekkota not in Hemidactylus.

Some members of the genus, such as H. platyurus, are able to run quadrupedally across water by a partially surface tension-dependent mechanism distinct from the bipedal gait of basilisks.<ref name="Nirody2018">Template:Cite journal</ref>

CommunicationEdit

Like many other gecko species, species in the genus Hemidactylus are able to communicate with distinct vocalizations. Depending on the species, their vocalizations range from quiet clicks to short squeaks and chirps. For example, the Asian common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) is notable for its distinctive chirping.

SpeciesEdit

File:Brook's House Gecko Hemidactylus brookii by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSCN1363 (7).jpg
H. brookii
File:Davidraju House Gecko(Hemidactylus flaviviridus).jpg
H. flaviviridus
File:Indian house gecko.JPG
Adult common house gecko (H. frenatus) in Chennai, India
File:Hemidactylus garnotii 311551725.jpg
H. garnotii
File:Hemidactylus dindigal full.jpg
Adult giant leaf-toed gecko (H. giganteus) from Dindigul (Tamil Nadu, India)
File:Hemidactylus graniticolus.jpg
H. graniticolus
File:Leaf-toed Gecko Hemidactylus maculatus by Dr. Raju Kasambe DSCN0933 (8).jpg
H. maculatus
File:Prashad's Gecko Hemidactylus prashadi by Dr Raju Kasambe DSCN0790 (17).jpg
H. prashadi
File:Mediterranean house gecko.JPG
Mediterranean house gecko (H. turcicus)
File:Giri’s ‘brookiish’ gecko Hemidactylus varadgirii DSCN6390 (7).jpg
H. varadgirii

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PhylogenyEdit

The following phylogeny is from Pyron, et al. (2013),<ref name="Pyron">Pyron, R. Alexander; Burbrink, Frank T.; Wiens, John J. (2013). "A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes". BMC Evolutionary Biology 13 (1): 93. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-13-93</ref> and includes 47 Hemidactylus species. Hemidactylus is a sister group of Cyrtodactylus.<ref name="Pyron"/> Template:Clade

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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