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 .

Japanese Gecko (Gekko japonicus)

OTHER NAMES: Schlegel's Japanese Gecko
Latin Etymology: Gekko ("gecko") japonicus ("Japanese")

Adult Japanese Gecko (Gekko japonicus) at Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan - July 2013

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 3.5g  /  Length: 10-14cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Japanese Gecko is as the name suggests the common Gecko of the Japanese mainland.  For a fairly common species, I can find very little English language information on them online, so I'm afraid I cannot give much information on them.  This particular one I found crawling around a railway overpass.  It is part of a wider group of similar geckos found in Asia that seems to still be under consideration for how many species are within the complex.

Related Species:
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus: Gekko
SUBSPECIES: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

JAPAN - Japanese - 本ーヤモリ  /  Nihon-Yamori ("Japan Gecko")

Resident.

 - KYOTO/OSAKA 2013 TRIP: A single individual at Kamakura.

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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