Re: [Gecko] Gluing Hemidactylus

[Racodactylus]

H. tropidolepis is a terrestrial species and I really think they resemble Teratolepis in a lot of aspects.

You can generally keep a large number of female with a single male in Hemidactylus.
I don't think they are communal, but I have seen a large number of females (upwards of 5), a subadult male, and a couple of juveniles with in 10 feet of a full grown male H. mabouia in Key West.  Food was also plentiful.  I have also seen hatchlings and adult males underneath the same refuge.  However, I was given a group of this species, and I mixed 2 size of juveniles together with bad results during shipping.  One larger juvenile bit off the leg of an animal no more that 1/4" smaller than it.  Pretty interesting.

As Jon hinted at earlier, Hemidactylus is a huge genus supporting a variety of forms.  Some of these animals approach 12" in length!  There are so many forms, anyone is bound to find something they like.  But, to most these are and always will be house geckoes.  Well guess what, so are Gehyra vorax and the related, Lepidodactylus, lots of Phelsuma, Gekko, and most other gekkonids.  Expand your collections, keep Hemidactylus.  If you collect geckoes and don't keep any Hemidactylus, you do not collect geckoes.

And there are so many undescribed animals from area around the UAE.  It is difficult to collect in as it is a pretty tough environment, and its also dangerous for any American.  Plus with a lack of locality data, how can they be officially described?  They can't.  Furthermore, with a lack of locale data, and no interest in the genus, who would describe it?  No one.

Too bad though.  Hemidactylus is related to so many other genera.

And Mr. RVH, where did you find literature referring to gluing behavior in Hemidactylus, or any relatives?  The whole reason I posted my post was because I found none, had seen no species doing it, and no one I asked directly knew of any.

--Daniel