Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi y'all, new forumite. I just caught a gecko down in St. Petersburg, Florida, of a type wholly unknown to me. It looks something like a marble gecko, except smaller, and mottled in browns instead of grays. It's approximately four inches long right now, nocturnal, arboreal by nature, given to trying to camouflage itself in order to escape detection (obviously that didn't work too well for it), and, like I said, a natural striped mottle in browns. Any clues would be helpful. Thanks a lot!

Hello:
It sounds almost like a misplaced African House Gecko (H. mabouia) but I'm not aware of any found that far north. It is probably a darker H. turcicus. The only other gecko I've seen in Pinellas County is the Indo-Pacific Gecko (H. garnoti). They are brown but usually have little pattern. Another characteristic is the appearance of what looks like spiky nubs along the tail. These protuberences are not spectacular and are very small. They are noticeable in adults.
Farther north in the county I have seen The Dwarf Flying Gecko (Cosymbotus platyurus) though they should not be in St. Pete. They lean more towards a grey color but are heavily patterned.
Hope this Helps.
Have a Great Day!!!

Thanks for your help. After reading your post, I observed the gecko a bit more, and did in fact notice the spiky nubs on its tail. Based on photographic research, I would say it looks most like an Indo-Pacific gecko... if you can think of anything else similar, let me know, but I am content to call it that. It's a happy find for me.

That's p[robably what you have. They began making a northward push out of S Florida about 10-12 years ago and have sprfead at least as far as Pinellas. I've seen at least 15 animals at various sites in the county. I've also noticed a decline in Med's at around the same time. Indo-Pacifics are easy to establish because they are parthenogenic.
Have a Great Day!!!