Re: [RML] geckoes - was Re: Mystery/Apple Snails/quarantine

Adrian R. Tappin (atappin at ecn.net.au)
Thu, 11 Dec 1997 06:08:49 +1000

At 08:35 10/12/97 +1100, Greg wrote:

>the characteristic "chuck-chuck-chuck" bark is made by one Hemidactylus
frenatus, which is found mostly in northern australia, and is indeed an
introduced species.
>
>Hal Cogger (1975) writes that this species is "almost entirely confined to
human settlements" and "no longer present in abandoned settlements where it
once occurred, suggesting a dependence on man for its distribution in this
country".
>
>adrian - i'd be very interested in taking a look at the geckoes at your
house to see if they are Hemidactylids - as brisbane is, strictly speaking ,
outside the normal range of that species.

The geckoes here give that distinctive "chuck-chuck-chuck" that you
mentioned and indeed it can be very loud at times. I think we must have a
large dominant male in our kitchen somewhere (I think he lives in the space
provided under the kitchen cupboards) and he is very loud at times and can
be heard from outside the house. Gunther Schmida was here one time and said
they were the introduced species. My daughter who lives not far from me have
also acquired them but only in the last 6 months. So they must still be
slowly spreading around this area.

Adrian.

...............................................................
Adrian R. Tappin
"Home of the Rainbowfish"
http://www.ecn.net.au/~atappin/home.htm
http://www.angfa.org/rainbowfish/home.htm
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