 |
| Antilles Leaf Toed Gecko, Hemidactylus palaichthus Kluge, 1969. Photographed on Little Tobago Island. Apparently the only Hemidactylus native to the Western Hemisphere, (no known populations in the Eastern Hemisphere). It occurs in South America and the Lesser Antilles. H. palaichthus seems to prefer offshore satellite islands as opposed to having populations on larger land masses, but it does occur on mainland South America. |
 |
| Giant Indian House Gecko, Hemidactylus giganteus Stoliczka 1871. Photograph of a captive from India. A poorly known gecko from several localities in peninsular India (Godavari Valley, Malabar, Lingsugur, and Hyderabad). Adult body length reaches 115 mm, and the tail can be 120 mm. |
 |
Hemidactylus mabouia Moreau de Jonnes, 1818. Photograph of a captive. Native to Africa, but introduced into Europe, Central America, South America, and subtropical North America. |
 |
| The Flat Tailed Gecko, Hemidactylus platyurus (Schneider, 1792). Photographed in the Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia (Island of Borneo). Adult body lengths to 70 mm. This is a widespread species in tropical Asia, and it has been introduced into Lee County, Florida. Coloration is highly variable, but the flat tail is very distinctive. It can often be seen hunting on the walls of buildings that are lighted at night. Females may share communal nesting sites. The species has also been placed in the genus Cosymbotus. |
| Geckos in the genus Hemidactylus have digits that are strongly dilated (expanded) with a double series of lamellae on the underside of the digit that form a pad. These lamellae are used to grip surfaces. Claws are also present. Dorsal scales may be small, granular, and similar in size. Or, they may be a mixture of small scales with larger tubercular scales. The pupil is vertical, and males tend to have preanal and, or femoral pores. The genus is pantropical, and member species have been introduced into North America, the West Indies, and Australia. The genus contains at least 85 species. |