European half finger

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
European half finger
European half finger (Hemidactylus turcicus) on brick wall

European half finger ( Hemidactylus turcicus ) on brick wall

Systematics
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank: Geckos (gekkota)
Family : Geckos (Gekkonidae)
Genre : Half-finger geckos ( Hemidactylus )
Type : European half finger
Scientific name
Hemidactylus turcicus
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The European half-finger , also Turkish half-finger gecko ( Hemidactylus turcicus ), often referred to as the "house gecko", is one of the most common geckos . He lives hidden in houses and feeds on insects. Adult half-finger geckos can reach a head-to-torso length of eight and a total length of 15 cm. As a hidden, crepuscular and nocturnal hunter, the Turkish half-finger gecko has large lidless eyes. Depending on the surface and the incidence of light, the skin appears sandy, yellowish, reddish to dark brown, has dark, almost black spots and light tubercle scales that dissolve the gecko's shape from the surface and offer an almost perfect camouflage on wood and stone. Like all half-finger geckos, the Turkish half-finger gecko has sticky toes as well as claws and can walk on both smooth and rough surfaces.

distribution

Distribution area in the Mediterranean area

As a cultural follower and neozoon , the European half-finger is highly invasive. The first major wave of distribution was triggered in antiquity by Greek and Phoenician seafarers and extended the distribution area to the entire Mediterranean area. A second spread at the beginning of the modern era led to the settlement of the Spanish and Portuguese colonies. Since the Second World War, the animal has been found on every continent and on almost every island in tropical or Mediterranean climates through air and shipping traffic. Females can store sperm for a year and thus produce around 6 clutches of 2 eggs each. It is to be expected that modern air tourism and international trade in goods will result in further populations indoors.

Species protection

The European half finger is protected by the Federal Species Protection Ordinance. The keeping of animals bred in captivity is permitted, but requires registration with the responsible state authorities.

Due to its wide distribution, Hemidactylus turcicus is not protected in most countries. This leads to wild caught z. B. as Hemidactylus brookii or imported under fantasy names and offered in the pet trade as "food geckos".

behavior

European half finger with prey

The European half finger lives in colonies in which the males defend their territories against other males and foreign food competitors, e.g. B. defend other geckos, but also against spiders . Most of the time, the entire colony uses a communal toilet, where, as in the sunny places, there are seldom arguments.

In the literature, the half-finger gecko is called nocturnal. But you can also describe the behavior as shy and hidden. If the population density increases due to the lack of predators such as dogs or cats, the hunting habits in an apartment can become bolder. E.g. hunting is done in lamps or near candles. In the terrarium, the geckos are usually more shy than in apartments.

The floor or areas open from above are mostly avoided. The geckos are more likely to be found under tables, shelves, under the leaves of indoor plants or in other hiding places. The sun places are usually only visible from the corner of the sun, but the communal toilet is often in a hidden corner on the floor or close to the floor.

To sleep, the European half-finger needs a gap that offers both stomach and back contact. During the day, the place for passive thermoregulation is changed several times. At night the gecko remains active up to approx. 15 ° C room temperature. The days after feeding, indirect (e.g. under a leaf) or direct sun at 25 to 30 ° C can be observed, which is necessary to reach the digestive temperature. When the daytime temperatures are too high, the geckos retreat to deeper, more humid or shady corners. When hunting or in other states of excitement, hectic pumping of air with the throat can be observed.

Diseases and life expectancy

Consult a veterinarian who is knowledgeable about reptiles in the event of illness.

Eimeria turcicus is anormal coccidia species for Hemidactylus turcicus . These protozoa should not be treated, on the contrary, young animals should be given the opportunity to visit the parent animals' toilet in order to get a normal intestinal flora. In other reptiles,however, Eimeria turcicus can attack the bile. Such an infection can lead to death, which is why European half-fingers should not be socialized with other reptiles or even fed as feed geckos. Eimeria can be determined by a trivial examination of a fecal sample, the exact species determination of the Eimeria is only possible in the laboratory.

The normal life expectancy with good care in the terrarium is approx. 10 years. At this point in time, blindness often sets in, which prevents independent hunting. Animals tamed for food can live twice as old.

literature

  • Atlas de la terrariophile. Vol. 3: Les lézards. Animalia Éditions, Campsegret 2003, ISBN 2-9517895-2-1 .
  • Mario F. Broggi: Herpetological observations on the island of Lesbos (Greece). In: Salamandra. Vol. 14, No. 4, 1978, ISSN  0036-3375 , pp. 161-171.
  • Karl F. Buchholz: A new Hemidactylus from the Balearic Islands (Rept. Geckonidae). In: Bonn Zoological Contributions. Vol. 5, 1954, ISSN  0006-7172 , p. 68, digital version (PDF; 309 kB) .
  • Senkenbergische Naturforschenden Gesellschaft (Hrsg.): Atlas to the journey in northern Africa by Eduard Rüppell. First division: Carl HG v. Heyden : Zoology. Reptiles. Senkenbergische Naturforschenden Gesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main 1827, pp. 1–24, digitized .
  • M. Haupt, Alexander Pickl: The European half-fingered gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus). In: Reptilia. Vol. 10, No. 5 = No. 55, 2005, ISSN  1431-8997 , pp. 60-62.
  • M. Henniger, JH Black: Mediterranean gecko discovered in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. In: Bulletin of the Oklahoma Herpetological Society. Vol. 12, 1987, p. 20.
  • Panagiotis Kasapidis, Sofia Provatidou, Panagiota Maragou, Efstratios D. Valakos: New data on the herpetofauna of Lesbos (Aegean Islands, Greece) and some biogeographical remarks on the islands of the northeastern Aegean archipelago. In: Salamandra. Vol. 32, No. 3, 1996, pp. 171-180.
  • Max Kasparek: On the herpetofauna of the Köycegiz basin, Turkey (Dalyan region). In: Salamandra. Vol. 26, No. 2/3, 1990, pp. 155-164, digitized version (PDF; 3.5 MB) .
  • M. Sharif Khan: Hemidactylus geckos of Pakistan. Natural History and Captive Breeding. In: Reptilia. The European Herp Magazine. No. 43, 2005, ISSN  1138-4913 , pp. 71-78.
  • Arnold G. Kluge: Gekkonoid Lizard Taxonomy. International Gecko Society, San Diego CA 1993.
  • Gunther Koehler: Reptiles and Amphibians of Central America. Volume 1: crocodiles, turtles, lizards. Herpeton, Offenbach 2000, ISBN 3-9806214-0-5 .
  • Rudolf Malkmus: Contribution to the spread of amphibians and reptiles in Portugal. In: Salamandra. Vol. 18, No. 3/4, 1982, pp. 218-299.
  • Rudolf Malkmus: New data on the distribution of Hemidactylus turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Portugal (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae). In: Herpetozoa. Vol. 9, No. 1/2, 1996, ISSN  1013-4425 , pp. 83-85, digitized version (PDF; 404 kB) .
  • Ryan C. Means: Geographic distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus. In: Herpetological Review. Vol. 30, No. 1, 1999, ISSN  0018-084X , p. 52.
  • Jiří Moravec, Wolfgang Böhme : A new subspecies of the Mediterranean gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus from the Syrian lava desert (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae). In: Herpetozoa. Vol. 10, No. 3/4, 1997, pp. 121–128, digital version (PDF; 1.9 MB) .
  • T. Mutz, M. Mutz, F.-J. Fruit: Herpetological impressions of Sardinia. In: Elaphe. NF Vol. 7, No. 3, 1999, ISSN  0943-2485 , pp. 76-80.
  • Glenn Proudfoot, Michael James McCoid: Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus. In: Herpetological Review. Vol. 27, No. 2, 1996, p. 87.
  • Herbert Rösler, Wolfgang Wranik: The geckofauna of the Socotra archipelago (Sauria: Gekkonidae). In: Gekkota. Vol. 2, 2000, ZDB -ID 2080442-8 , pp. 20-27.
  • Herbert Rösler, Wolfgang Wranik: A key and annotated checklist to the reptiles of the Socotra archipelago. In: Fauna of Arabia. Vol. 20, 2004, ZDB -ID 1459103-0 , pp. 505-534.
  • Uwe Schlüter: The reptiles and amphibians of the Kerkennah Islands. In: Elaphe. NF Vol. 10, No. 2, 2002, pp. 68-74.
  • B. Schneider: To the herpetofauna of the islands Kalymnos and Telentos (Dodecanese, Aegean). In: Salamandra. Vol. 19, No. 1/2, 1983, pp. 61-70.
  • B. Schneider: On the herpetofauna of the island of Limnos (Hellespontic Islands, North Aegean, Greece). In: Salamandra. Vol. 22, No. 4, 1986, pp. 276-280.
  • Benny Trapp: The house in Kotronas. In: Reptilia. Vol. 10, No. 3 = No. 53, 2005, ISSN  1431-8997 , pp. 40-45.
  • Avery A. Williams: Geographic Distribution. Hemidactylus turcicus. In: Herpetological Review. Vol. 28, No. 2, 1997, p. 96.
  • Mark A. Wise: Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean gecko). USA: Florida. In: Herpetological Review. Vol. 24, No. 3, 1993, p. 109.

Web links

Commons : European half finger ( Hemidactylus turcicus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files