Invasive Mediterranean Geckos in Southern U.S.

[Julius]

Greetings all. I'm visiting the forum after a long absence to post about seeing Mediterranean Geckos wild in Charleston, SC. I recently moved back here (with my 2.5 year old leopard gecko in tow) after an absence of about 6 years and was surprised to encounter this species, as I never saw them when I used to live here. I was wondering if anyone had any insight into how they may have gotten here. I don't think the pet trade is to blame, as to my knowledge they aren't widely kept as pets. Charleston being a port city, you have to wonder if stowaways on a cargo ship are to blame, but I also saw the post about someone finding one in Memphis, TN.

So does anyone have any ideas? I'm not too worried about the species being pernicious. There is certainly enough prey to go around in this city, and I am still seeing plenty of our native lizard, the Eastern Anole, which are day hunters anyway. They seem to be doing very well in terms of the numbers of them I've observed so I think they might be a permanent new resident, and this southerner is ready to be hospitable to his new nocturnal neighbors.

Any thoughts on the subject are appreciated.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I moved to TX in 2001 and they were everywhere. There were about 20 of them at every light in my apartment complex every night. I tried catching and keeping a few of them but they didn't seem to do well so I released them. I believe there are two separate species (though they may be able to interbreed). I would assume that you're right about them being introduced as stowaways on ships. I don't think, however, that they were introduced in the recent past as they have been around for a long while.

 

[Julius]

That's interesting, DrCarrotTail. I know they are recent additions to our local fauna so they must have come from elsewhere and spread to Charleston via land. It would be interesting to know the point of origin in the U.S.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

From the website: Texas Invasives

"History: It is uncertain how the Mediterranean gecko first made its way to the United States. It was first reported in Key West, Florida 1915. It is thought that this gecko was probably a stowaway on a ship from the Mediterranean area. Mediterranean geckos are quite common in the pet trade, which has no doubt led to its spread across the United States. Currently, this species has high numbers in Florida, and has established breeding populations all along Southern states."

 

[DrCarrotTail]

And the website: Hemidactylus turcicus - Mediterranean House Gecko

"Native to the Mediterranean area, the Middle East, Somalia, and India. Reported in the United States in 1955 in Brownsville Texas, (and 1910 in the Florida Keys) this gecko has spread rapidly, and is currently found in scattered urban locations in much of the southern part of the U.S.A. including California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. "

 

[Julius]

your google-fu is strong, DrCarrotTail.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Hahaha My impatient curiosity has forced me to perfect it over the years. Teaching a few online courses and googling for plagiarized material helps too