Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)

OTHER NAMES: Asian House Gecko, Pacific House Gecko, House Gecko, Moon Lizard

Latin Etymology: Hemidactylus ("half toed") frenatus ("bridled")

Adult Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: 2.5g  /  Length: 7-15cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A common resident of Malaysia in addition to being one of the most common reptiles in the world in general due to invasive populations spread by ships throughout various tropical countries on every continent except Europe and Antarctica .  They are well adapted to urban living and can be found in buildings regularly, feeding on insects.  It's name in many languages is onomatopeic based on the call it makes.

Related Species: 
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Hemidactylus
SUBSPECIES: unknown

 - Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - Malay - Cicak

A common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Several seen in Malacca and surroundings 

COSTA RICA 
An introduced species found around human settlements
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Flat-tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus)

OTHER NAMES: House Gecko, Frilled House Gecko

Latin Etymology: Hemidactylus ("half toed") platyurus ("flat-tailed")

Adult Flat-tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus) at Service Station near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - July 2016

Featured Subspecies - ?
Weight: 3.8g  /  Length: 14cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The Flat-tailed House Gecko is a common species found throughout Malaysia in urban areas - for me it was the lizard species I saw the most often.  It was most numerous in a service station we stopped in on the way back from Malacca - a dining hall with many pillars and at each one would be sat a lizard, most of them of this species.  They are visually a very variable species and can come in patterns from a white-ish colour to a mottled pattern but maintain the flattened tail which gives them their name.

Related Species:
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Hemidactylus
SUBSPECIES: unknown

 - Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - Malay - ?

A common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Several seen in Malacca and surroundings 

SINGAPORE - A local resident

 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP:Several at throughout.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Common Four-clawed Gecko (Gehyra mutilata)

OTHER NAMES: Pacific Gecko, Stump-toed Gecko, Tender-skinned House Gecko
Latin Etymology: Gehyra (?) mutilata ("maimed")

 

Common Four-clawed Gecko (Gehyra mutilata) in Location, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Length: 12cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A species of Gecko found in South East Asia which has also been spread anthropogenically to other locations including India, Hawaii and Mexico. They are a generalist species which adapts well to humans and in some places are considered a positive as they feed upon invertibrates in the house that may be less desirable.
 
Related Species: 
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Gehyra
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 
 
- Sighting Locations -

MALAYSIA - Malay - ?

A common resident.

 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Several seen around a service station between Kuala Lumpur and Malacca

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica)

OTHER NAMES: Common Wall Gecko, Crocodile Gecko, European Common Gecko
Latin Etymology: Tarentola (Taranto - a City in Italy) mauritanica ("from Mauritania")

Adult Moorish Gecko (Tarentola mauritanica) at Siracusa, Sicily, Italy - May 2018

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: 12g  /  Length: 15cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Moorish Gecko is a common and distinctive looking reptile found the Western end of the Mediterranean.  They have a distinctive spiney appearance that gains them the alternate name of Crocodile Gecko.  They are highly variable in colour across their range, although the ones seen in Sicily had a dark brown colour and stuck to rocky habitats.

Related Species:
Order: Squamata
Family: Phyllodactylidae
Genus: Tarentola
SUBSPECIES: ?

- Sighting Locations -

ITALY - Italian - Geco Comune ("Common Gecko")

An common resident

 - SICILY 2018 TRIP -  Several locations throughout the Island.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Yellow-headed Gecko (Gonatodes albogularis)

OTHER NAMES: White-throated Clawed Gecko, White-throated Gecko
Latin Etymology: Gonatodes ("resembling a knee") albogularis ("white throat")

Adult male Yellow-headed Gecko (Gonatodes albogularis) at Tarcoles, Costa Rica - November 2025

Featured Subspecies: Gonatodes albogularis fuscus
Weight: g/kg  /  Length: 6.9-9cm 
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A distinctive small gecko of Central and South America, they live around trees and breed in the bases of trees, particularly amongst leaf litter. They are primarily diurnal, but avoid direct sunlight and indeed, on an individual seen in Carara National Park, actively in a darker section of forest. 
 
Related Species: 
Order: Squamata
Family: Sphaerodactylidae
Genus: Gonatodes
SUBSPECIES: G. a. albogularis, G. a. bodinii, G. a. fuscus, G. a. notatus
 
- Sighting Locations -

COSTA RICA 
A widespread resident
- COSTA RICA 2025 TRIP: Seen at Tarcoles and Carara 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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