Hemidactylus turcicus-natural history

Hemidactylus turcicus(Linnaeus 1758), the Turkish gecko, is also known as the house gecko, Mediterranean house gecko, Mediterranean gecko or Med Gecko. It is one of the most successful geckos of all time, being found throughout much of Europe and also into other continents. It is small and cute, so it is also gaining popularity as a pet.

Classification
The first part of the scientific name of the Med Gecko-Hemidactylus-gives away that it is a member of the Hemidactylus genus, also known as the house geckos. These are geckos that have done very well, partly because they have adapted to the spread of humans over their native lands and thus are often found in urban environments; in fact, the reason that the genus is called the house geckos is because they are often found on the walls of houses.
The Hemidactylus genus is part of the gecko family-Gekkonidae. This is one of the largest lizard families, comprising of over 1,070 species, of which only a few are found in Europe. The geckos have done extremely well, because although they seem to do best in tropical or subtropical zones they can be found wherever it is warm enough. It is not just the Hemidactylus genus that have adapted to living around humans; several species of gecko, such as Gekko gecko, are welcome around or even in houses because they get rid of insect pests.
The geckos are just one of the families that make up the sub-order Sauria-the lizards, which is part of the Squamata order (lizards and snakes) in the class Reptilia and the phylum Chordata.

Identification and appearance
The Med Gecko can be very hard to distinguish from other similar geckos, especially several species of Tarentola which are also found in similar habitats and have ranges that overlap with the Med Gecko's. Examples of similar species include the Moorish gecko Tarentola mauritanica and Kotschy's gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi.
It can be distinguished from the former becasue it is signifigantly skinnier and more delicate in appearance; the Moorish is more muscular in its bodily build. Med Geckos reach an overall length of 12cm, with a SVL (Snout-to-Vent Length) of 5-5.3cm. They vary in colouration; some scientists devide them into dark morphs and light morphs, with the dark morphs usually being a darker shade of brown and the lighter morphs are usually a shade of light brown, almost white, or almost white with a sort of pink colouration mixed in. The tail often has dark bands. Like most geckos, they have toe pads that allow them to climb up vertical surfaces and tails that can break off as a defense mechanism.

Habitat and behaviour
Med Geckos are usually found near human habitation. The walls and gardens of houses offer plenty of places to run around, hunt, sleep and hide. Look for them on walls, tree trunks, barns, and rocky landscapes. Sometimes they even manage to get inside houses and can be hard to catch!
These are nocturnal or crepuscular animals, hiding during the day and coming out at sunset. However, they are occasionally seen out in the daytime, benefitting from the UVA and UVB rays that the sun provides. At night, they often hang around under lights on walls, snatching up the moths and bugs that are attracted to the bulb's rays.
Trying to catch a Med Gecko is extremely hard. They are fast, skittish and nervous, and because they have so many predators they usually spot you before you spot them. Of the three or four med geckos I found in Portugal, the only time I ever managed to catch one was one that had fell into the swimming pool. Because it was cold it needed to warm up and so it sat on my hand for ages.

Range in Europe and elsewhere
These geckos are found in warm places. Portugal, Spain, France, Italy (including Lampedusa island), Albania, Greece, (including Kalymnos, Paros, Antiparos, Despotiko, Lesbos, Chios, Limnos, Samos, Samothraki, Milos, Tinos), Malta, Yugoslavia: costal Croatia (except west Istria), Adriatic islands, Turkey, north Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, north Yemen (Socotra Archipelago), Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya, south Iran, Iraq, Oman, Pakistan, India, Balearic Islands (Island Addaya Grande), Mediterranean Sea, Canary Islands (introduced to Gran Canaria and Tenerife), Red Sea; introduced to Panama, Puerto Rico, Belize, Mexico, Cuba, and theUSA (Lousiana, Alabama, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, Virginia, Maryland, California, Nevada, New Mexico) are all places you may find them.

Diet and hunting behaviour
Becasue they are quite small, Med geckos catch and devour invertebrates that will easily fit into their mouths. Nocturnal insects feature predominantly in thsi gecko's diet, but larvae of invertebrates and small, non-dangerous spiders are also eaten.

Breeding
Hemidactylus turcicus breeds between April and July. It lays soft-shelled eggs 8-9mm x up to 1.1 centimetres in crevices in walls or other secure places. The temperature of the egg's surroundings has an important role on how long they take to incubate; it could be anywhere between forty days if the weather is good to a couple of months or even more if the weather is bad.