Mediterranean house gecko: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Mediterranean house gecko lives – recorded in 14 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Hemidactylus turcicus
Group	Lizards, geckos & tuatara
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	14 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America
Class	Reptile
Order	Squamata
Family	Gekkonidae

Where does the Mediterranean house gecko live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Mediterranean house gecko in 14 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. In Spain, Mexico it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Mediterranean house gecko endangered?

The Mediterranean house gecko’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Mediterranean house gecko?

The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is a reptile in the order Squamata and the family Gekkonidae, genus Hemidactylus. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Mediterranean house gecko

The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is a species of house gecko native to the Mediterranean region, from which it has spread to many parts of the world including parts of East Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the Southern and Southeastern United States. It is commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name and also as the moon lizard because it tends to emerge in the evening.

A study in Portugal found H. turcicus to be totally nocturnal, with its highest activity around 02:00. It is insectivorous, rarely exceeds 15 cm (5.9 in) in length, has large, lidless eyes with elliptical pupils, and purple or tan-colored skin with black spots, often with stripes on the tail. Its belly or undersides are somewhat translucent. What impact this gecko has on native wildlife in the regions to which it has been introduced is unknown.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Mediterranean house gecko (revision 1362004022), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q836347 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).