Wall gecko

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Wall gecko
Juvenile Wall Gecko Spain, Tamariu 2.jpg

Wall gecko ( Tarentola mauritanica )

Systematics
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
without rank: Geckos (gekkota)
Family : Leaf finger geckos (Phyllodactylidae)
Genre : Tarentola
Type : Wall gecko
Scientific name
Tarentola mauritanica
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Wall geckos sunbathing (video, 1m 40s)
Wall gecko taken in Finale Ligure , Italy

The wall gecko ( Tarentola mauritanica ) is a common nocturnal gecko that is widespread in the Mediterranean region . It belongs to the genus Tarentola , within the family of the leaf finger geckos (Phyllodactylidae).

features

The wall gecko is one of the largest gecko species in Europe. It reaches a body length of up to 16 cm, with the head-trunk length between 74 and 84 mm. Males grow larger than females and have significantly wider heads. The basic color of the wall geckos usually consists of gray and brownish tones. Most of the time, there are other lighter spots and dark horizontal stripes (four to five between the neck and the sacral region) on the body, but these disappear with age. The body is typically flattened, the muzzle broad and pointed. Femoral or preanal pores (skin glands) are not found in either sex. However, it has already been described that in males between the ages of 2 and 3 years there are two prominent skin openings (presumably glandular openings) below the cloaca, which are not found in females and can be helpful in determining gender.

The eyes have a vertically slit pupil, the iris is colored gray. On the head, body, tail and legs there are pronounced tubercle scales, which are arranged in parallel rows. There are 12 to 16 rows across the body. However, there are no enlarged tubercles to be found at the border between the ventral and back scales. The dorsal tubercles are keeled several times and covered with sensillae. The keel of the tubercle scales can be differently pointed internally, but the tubercles are never directed caudally. Around the tubercles there are horseshoe-shaped rosettes made of scales of intermediate size (grain scales), the remaining dorsal scales, however, are significantly larger. The scales of regenerated tails are significantly smaller than those of the rest of the body, which means that regenerated tail appears separate from the body and is therefore quickly recognizable. The toes of the wall gecko are flattened and have clearly visible claws on the third and fourth fingers. Females also have claws on the rest of the toes, but these are barely visible and often hidden. On the underside there are undivided, wide adhesive lamellae on all toes.

Detention structures

Schematic drawing of the sole of the foot of a wall gecko. On each toe there are undivided adhesive lamellas (highlighted in gray) that enable the gecko to climb even on very smooth surfaces. There are also clearly visible claws on the third and fourth fingers. (Image: T. Machts)

The wall gecko has special adhesive structures on the sole of its toes that enable it to climb even on very smooth surfaces. These structures are arranged like lamellae. Under the first toe there are around 11, under the fourth around 16 and under the fifth around 20 lamellas. Each lamella consists of thousands of setae (thin, hair-like structures), which in turn subdivide into a large number of plate-shaped, widened spatulae (adhesive hairs). In the wall gecko, a seta is around 150 µm long. The spatulae , as the last structure of the hierarchically structured adhesive system, form the point of contact with the surface. “ Van der Waals forces ” (molecular adhesion) act between these two points and are responsible for the gecko's ability to adhere

The development of the detention structures in the wall gecko was examined in more detail by Hiller (1972). The next but one generation of epidermis and thus also the adhesive structures are created after one molt . This occurs mainly in the light layer and the epidermal layer. The first step is to split the Setae ends. This happens through the growing in of keratin filament bundles from the epidermal layer into the light layer. As a result, the light layer has a matrix function and is significantly involved in the precise formation of these structures. After this process, the actual adhesive structures are formed by simultaneously moving the light layer and the epidermal cell layer apart (the distance between the cell layers increases slowly) and further keratinization. The light layer retains its matrix function until the next molt.

distribution

The wall gecko occurs extensively in the coastal regions of the Mediterranean area. In addition to Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, France (including Corsica), Italy (including Sardinia and Lampedusa), the Balearic Islands (introduced in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera), Malta, the Azores, the coastal regions of Croatia (except Istria) and the Adriatic islands, parts of North Africa are also settled. These include Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Western Sahara, Israel and the Sinai

It can be assumed that the occurrence in the east of the Mediterranean area can be traced back to human displacement. This is also the case in Greece, where the animals are only found on the mainland in the Peloponnese (around the port cities of Patras and Pylos. In addition, on the offshore islands of Kephallonia, Ithaka, Zakynthos, Crete, Strofades, Dia, Corfu and Lesvos. On the rest The wall gecko is not widespread in the Aegean islands. The Madeira archipelago is also due to anthropogenic introduction

Outside Europe, the wall gecko was also transported to Uruguay, the USA (California and San Diego), Argentina and Chile (Santiago de Chile), where it also successfully established itself.

habitat

The wall gecko prefers dry and stony habitats such as cliffs, stone walls, and ruins. It is often found even near human settlements. There he established himself as an extremely successful cultural follower who likes to climb house facades even in the middle of a city. Above all, old walls with many cracks and crevices, which the animals use as shelter and hiding place, are preferred. Barts (2013) reports on a very unusual daytime shelter, who found an adult wall gecko in a wasp's nest. Tlili et al. (2012) found wall geckos on electricity pylons, ruins, small car bridges, landmarks, and even in the immediate vicinity of garbage. The wall gecko can be seen particularly numerous in empty houses (inside and outside walls) and at old wells. In addition, at night it is regularly found near artificial light sources, as it hunts for attracted insects there. In general, the wall gecko is considered to be the most anthropogenically associated species within the genus Tarentola

While the wall gecko is limited to the coastal region at some points in its range (e.g. Tunisia, Greece), it can also be found inland on the Iberian Peninsula. There he inhabits biotopes from sea level to about 2,300 m (in Spain)

Juvenile wall gecko (here: Tarentola mauritanica mauritanica ) from the port city of Pylos , Greece. The geckos can often be found climbing along house facades at night. (Photo: T. Machts)

Subspecies

The wall gecko was first described by Carl von Linné as Lacerta mauritanica in 1758 . The terra typica includes "Mauritantia", that is, northern Africa. Linnaeus received the copy from the Swedish consul in Algiers. The type locality is thus limited to Algiers.

There are currently 3 subspecies:

Tarentola mauritanica mauritanica (Linnaeus 1758)

Tarentola mauritanica juliae (Joger 1984)

Tarentola mauritanica pallida (Geniez et al. 1999)

The nominate form Tarentola mauritanica mauritanica is widespread in the European coastal regions of the Mediterranean (on the Iberian Peninsula also inland) including numerous Mediterranean islands (including a part of the Ionian Islands and all larger islands of the western Mediterranean). In addition, it occurs in Morocco north of the High Atlas, in Algeria north of the Sahara Atlas and in Tunisia north of the Gafsa – Sfax line.

The terra typica of the subspecies Tarentola mauritanica juliae includes the eastern Antialtias in Morocco. Tarentola m. juliae is common in southern Morocco. There the subspecies of the wall gecko can be found in the area of ​​the western High Atlas and its foothills, as well as south to the main ridge of the Anti-Atlas and its foothills. The holotype has been described as a stocky figure with a short head and a thin tail. The dorsal tubercles are small and pointed, but only slightly protruding. Rosettes around the tubercles are present. In the north of the distribution area there are intergradation zones with transitional forms to Tarentola m. mauritanica

The distribution area of ​​the subspecies Tarentola mauritanica pallida is limited to the Atlantic fringes of southern Morocco and western Sahara from the mouth of the Oued Drâa to Dchira. Tarentola m. juliae and Tarentola m. mauritanica are also found in this area. Tarentola m. However, pallida differs from these by a pink to yellowish basic color and a smoother, less warty appearance (flatter tubercle scales on the middle of the back)

The species Tarentola fascicularis (Daudin 1802), widespread in eastern North Africa, was also previously considered a subspecies of the wall gecko, but was recognized as a separate species in 2010.

Taxonomy

Investigations of the mitochondrial DNA revealed six genetically different lines along North Africa. These phylogroups apparently extend in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, in the south of Morocco, in the north of Morocco and in central Morocco. In contrast, the populations along Spain, Portugal, Italy, Crete, Menorca, and Tunisia are characterized by just a single haplotype . It can therefore be assumed that these populations are due to an anthropogenic introduction with a subsequent rapid spread along the European Mediterranean area. Their origins may be found in Morocco.

The high genetic diversity of the wall gecko, especially in North Africa, could suggest that Tarentola mauritanica represents an entire species complex.

nutrition

The wall gecko is an opportunistic predator that has a wide range of food. The food spectrum consists mainly of arthropods, such as spiders, beetles, flies, ants and cicadas. In addition, plant seeds, shell remains of gecko eggs and moults were found in stomachs. The food composition as well as the hunting behavior can, however, differ with the respective inhabited habitat. Wall geckos, which inhabit natural, mostly arid and rocky habitats, have specialized in ground-dwelling arthropods . This also coincides with the behavior of other gecko species from arid areas. Because of the limited food supply in such habitats, the wall geckos have to actively search for food ("foraging"). However, this behavior can be limited, as the ambient temperature sometimes drops significantly at night. Wall geckos that occur in urban areas show a different behavior. Artificial light sources are often sought out by these at night, as there are lured flying insects. The diet can consist of up to 24% insects of the order Diptera and adult Lepidoptera . Wall geckos often stay near the light sources and wait for the prey without actively looking for it (“sit and wait”). Furthermore, there is a lower, nocturnal cooling in cities, which seems to be beneficial for the activity of the wall geckos

Gil et al. (1993) also found differences in the food spectrum between mainland and island inhabitants. Since there is often a lower prey diversity on islands, the diet shifts to a few, frequently occurring prey types (in this case mainly beetles). On the mainland, on the other hand, the diversity is great, so that the food can also be composed of many different things.

In addition to arthropods, the wall gecko also hunts and eats other lizards and even conspecifics. Smaller gecko species and conspecifics are quickly displaced from the territory of the wall geckos. It can therefore be assumed that the wall gecko, as an invasive species, could have a strong negative impact on alien fauna (species displacement)

behavior

The main activity of the wall gecko is in the twilight and night hours. Then they either actively hunt or lie in wait for food. At night, the duration of activity and thus hunting is limited by the falling body temperature. Gil et al. (1993) assume that hunting behavior will also change depending on the season. During the cooler periods, the wall geckos show an increased “sit-and-wait” behavior, with which they prey unselectively. In the summer months, however, the activity of the animals is significantly increased, so that prey can now be hunted actively and selectively.

Even during the day, the wall gecko can sometimes be seen sunbathing. Then he is usually never more than 2 to 4 cm from his shelter (mostly crevice) and fled into it immediately as soon as a threat approaches. Most of the day's activity is spent on thermoregulation, rarely on territorial disputes. Nevertheless, there is always a large individual distance between adults of the same size (often 2 to 3 m). During sunbathing, the wall geckos change their skin color to dark brown or black tones in order to absorb as much of the sunlight as possible . The preferred body temperature of the wall gecko in the terrarium is 31.6 ° C. Body temperatures of around 25 ° C were measured in situ. On cloudy or rainy days, the wall gecko is not active during the day and hides in its shelter

If wall geckos are caught, for example by a human, they show different defensive behaviors. In addition to body winds, open-mouthed threats, feces and squeaking noises, they try to defend themselves with powerful bites.

The wall gecko (here: Tarentola mauritanica mauritanica ) is sometimes active during the day. Then it turns dark and basks in the sun. At the slightest threat, he purposefully flees back to his shelter. (Photo: T. Machts)

Tail autotomy

The wall gecko is able to shed its tail ( autotomy ). The tail is shed when threatened by a predator or when there are intraspecific interactions. The predator is supposed to be irritated by the tail so that the wall gecko can flee. However, the loss of the tail can negatively affect the gecko's locomotor skills, energy reserves, and the ability to mate successfully. Regenerated tails grow in a cone shape and are occupied by small scales. Furthermore, they are shorter and bigger than the original. In the subspecies Tarentola m. mauritanica and Tarentola m. juliae , the regenerates have a gray color and blackish, longitudinal marbling. The regenerates of the subspecies Tarentola m. pallida , on the other hand, are yellow in color and tendril-shaped, purple marbling. The percentage composition of lipids, proteins and ash differs between the original tail and the regenerated material.In the regenerated wall gecko, the percentage of proteins and ash is slightly lower than in the original tail, but the percentage of lipids is almost twice as high. This also coincides with the data of other gecko species and supports the hypothesis about the adaptive and functional value of the reproduction of the tail rain council in geckos (see Perez-Mellado et al. 1997).

The wall gecko (here: Tarentola mauritanica mauritanica ) is capable of tail autotomy. Tail regenerates are shorter and more massive than the originals and stand out from the rest of the body due to the smaller scales. (Photo: T. Machts)

Call parameters

The wall gecko has an extremely complex call repertoire. When threatened, for example by being grabbed or by other conspecifics, it mainly uses short, growling cries, which can, however, vary greatly within the species. At the same time, the attacker is often presented with the open mouth. In addition to the defense sounds, calls also play a very important role in intra-species communication, which reflect the social behavior of the animals. Male animals generate series of calls (individual calls almost never occur) that can consist of 3 to 11 repetitions. The first call in the series is approx. 80 ms long and has a frequency of up to 5 kHz (main intensity between 0 and 4 kHz). The subsequent calls are shorter (60 ms) and reach a frequency of 4 kHz (main intensity between 0.8 and 1.5 kHz). The utterance can be described as a "Tschok ... kock ... kock ...". The call is very loud (audible up to 10 m away) and is primarily associated with communication with a female within the area. So it has an advertising and territorial function. The females respond with an individual call that resembles a “Keck” or “Kjäck”. This call only occurs during the mating season, but is also uttered by females unwilling to mate, so that it does not generally signal readiness to mate. The call is significantly higher frequency than that of the males and reaches up to 10 kHz (main intensity between 1.2 and 5 kHz). The duration is around 70 ms. Young animals also occasionally show vocalizations. A distinction can be made between two individual calls. On the one hand a “Klik” call (20 ms long, up to 16 kHz, main intensity between 6 and 10 kHz) and on the other hand a “Krek” sound (50 ms long, up to 9 kHz, main intensity between 3 and 8 kHz). These calls occur both in the group and in isolated animals

Reproduction

Wall geckos are very territorial . During the mating season, the wall gecko can often be found in pairs or in smaller groups consisting of one male and several females. Male rivals, however, are driven from the area with squeaky noises and bites. The intraspecial communication plays an important role during the mating season, which takes place over a rich spectrum of different vocalizations . When a male is ready to mate, it patrols its territory and begins various series of calls. The female responds to this with various "Keck" and "Kjäck" calls. When they meet, the male touches the female with his tongue. The tongue test is alternated with other calls. The male then bites into the female's tubercle scales in the ear region and tries to bring the tail under that of the female in order to bring the cloacas of the two animals into contact. Females ready to mate raise their tails significantly for this purpose, while those unwilling to mate press firmly against the substrate to prevent mating. The copulation time is between 20 and 60 s. Usually the male then changes position by turning his tail to the other side in order to copulate again from this side (same copulation time). Mating is ended by the male. Often there is then intense vocalizations between the two sexes

Depending on their body size, the females lay one or two eggs several times a year (dizygoti clutches are usually laid from a head-trunk length of 6 cm, the approximate ratio of monozygotic / dizygotic clutch is 1 to 8) between crevices, wood and masonry . The burial of the eggs in the sand could also be observed. In the terrarium the egg-laying period extends from February to August. Between 3 and 15 clutches are deposited within this period. The females only need 10 to 21 days between laying eggs. The eggs are 1.10 to 1.30 cm long and 0.85 to 1.10 cm wide. In the wild, the young hatch after 40 to 80 days, depending on the ambient temperature. In the terrarium they hatch at a temperature between 27 and 30 ° C after 70 to 75 days. With these incubation parameters, 100% females hatched out of 33 eggs, so that a temperature-dependent sex determination can possibly be assumed. When hatched, the young are between 2.30 and 2.65 cm long (head-trunk length) and weigh between 0.26 and 0.46 g. From a head-trunk length of 4.5 cm or at an age of 2 to 3 years, the animals are considered ready to mate

Juvenile wall gecko (here: Tarentola mauritanica mauritanica ) from Tamariu , Spain. After hatching, the animals measure only a few centimeters and are therefore exposed to many dangers. (Photo: A. Beuttner)

Enemies

The wall gecko is a predator itself, but is relatively low in the food chain, especially as a young animal. Carrion crows , common ravens and stranglers regularly bring reptiles to their nests. In addition, cats, hedgehogs, stone martens, weasels and shrews hunt for reptiles at night. Some species of snake, such as the lizard snake , slender snake and the nocturnal European cat snake , specialize in lizards and geckos and hunt them between the crevices of the wall. Young wall geckos must also be careful of their own conspecifics. In the first few weeks of life, geckos even serve as food for larger insects and arachnids

Danger

The wall gecko is listed in the IUCN Red List (Version 2019-1) under “Least Concern” (LC, lowest threat level). Only the "Egyptian populations" are threatened by targeted collection for the animal trade and by habitat reduction (although these are probably the populations of Tarentola fascicularis , which the Redlist apparently still accepts as a subspecies of T. mauritanica ). The low level of threat is mainly due to the large distribution, the high adaptability within the most varied of habitats and the large population numbers. The wall gecko is one of the most common reptiles in its range. The population is therefore considered to be stable. The wall gecko is also listed in Annex III of the Bern Convention, the convention on the conservation of European wild plants and animals and their natural habitats. In Greece it is also protected by law (Presidential Decree 67/1981)

literature

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  51. ↑ Atzori, A., Berti, F., Cencetti, T., Fornasiero, S., Tamburini, M., & Zuffi, MA: Advances in methodologies of sexing and marking less dimorphic gekkonid lizards: the study case of the Moorish gecko , Tarentola mauritanica. Amphibia-Reptilia, 28 (3), 449-454. 2007.
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  54. ↑ Tarentola mauritanica in the IUCN 2019-1 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Vogrin, M., Corti, C., Perez-Mellado, V., Sá-Sousa, P., Cheylan, M., Pleguezuelos, J., Baha El Din & S. Martínez-Solano, I., 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
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