New county records for the Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) in Central Texas, with comments on human-mediated dispersal

Abstract

The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is native to countries surrounding the Mediterranean and extends east to India and Somalia (Conant and Collins, 1998). However, H. turcicus has spread to several New World countries including Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, and the United States. The first verified report of H. turcicus in the United States is known from Key West, Florida in 1915, with other notable introductions documented in Arizona, California, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and other areas of Florida (Lever, 2003). Spread of this species has since been documented in many additional states (Livo et al., 1998; Hare, 2006; Kleopfer et al., 2006; Reed et al., 2006; NatureServe, 2008; Platt et al., 2008). Human-mediated dispersal is thought to be the major cause of this species’ dramatic range expansion (Lever, 2003), and Locey and Stone (2006) suggested that dispersal ability is limited and jump dispersal events are the major mode of expansion. Climate is thought to be a major factor preventing the northward spread of this species (Meshaka et al., 2006). However, cold climates are circumvented through exploitation of heated buildings, demonstrated by gecko presence in Colorado, South Dakota, and Maryland (Livo et al., 1998; NatureServe, 2008; Platt et al., 2008). Hemidactylus turcicus has been recorded throughout much of East and South Texas, but notable gaps exist in its distribution, such as the apparent absence from the panhandle with the exception of Lubbock County (Dixon, 2000; Jadin and Coleman, 2007). Approximately 28 counties in Central Texas lack a record