Last updated 3 April 2013: added as part of new classification of geckos.

A look at the

Infraorder GEKKOTA - Geckos

Family GEKKONIDAE



Family GEKKONIDAE - the Typical Geckos

This subfamily represents the "typical" geckos, ie its species have the climbing pads, arboreal behaviour, lack of eyelids and often vocal abilities that to most people characterised geckos. It is also by far the largest, containing several genera and about 950 species, despite losing several genera to the families Phyllodactylidae and Sphaerodactylidae.

Due to the huge size of this subfamily, the following list of genera is arranged alphabetically. In one way this is a pity, since an alphabetical arrangement does not correspond to the importance of some genera and the rarity of others. Therefore I have placed a '*' at the end of each genus listing which is most likely contain species that are regularly offered for sale.

Scientific Name

Common Name

Distribution

# of Species

Notes

Afroedura

Rock Geckos

Southern Africa

9

 

Afrogecko

 

Southern Africa 

3

 

Agamura

Spider Geckos

Middle East & C Asia

4

Common name derives from strikingly thin limbs. 

Ailuronyx

Seychelles Skin-Sloughing Geckos

Seychelles (Indian Ocean) 

3

 

Alsophylax

Straight-Fingered Geckos

C Asia and Indian subcontinent 

7

 

Altiphylax


C Asia, Indian subcontinent and W China

8

 

Blaesodactylus

Malagasy Velvet Geckos

Madagascar 

3

Placed by some authorities in the genus Homopholis

Bunopus

 

Middle East inc. Arabia, C Asia 

4

 

Calodactylodes

 

India and Sri Lanka 

2

 

Chondrodactylus

Comb-Fingered Geckos

Namibia 

1

 

Christinus

 

 Australia

2

 

Cnemaspis

 

W & E Africa, India and SE Asia

43

Absence from Middle East and C Asia may be explicable by requirement for tree cover and humidity 

Colopus

Kalahari Ground Gecko

Southern Africa 

1

 

Cosymbotus

 

India and SE Asia, USA (introduced into Florida) 

2

 

Crossobamon

Comb-Toed Geckos

C Asia and Indian subcontinent 

2

 

Cryptactites

Coastal Leaf-Toed Geckos

Republic of South Africa 

1

 

Cyrtodactylus

Bent-/ Bow-Toed Geckos

 

76

 

Cyrtopodion

Thin-Toed Geckos

S Europe, C Asia to Indian subcontinent

35

 

Dixonius

 

Thailand 

5

 

Dravidogecko

Southern Forest Gecko

India 

1

Synonymised by some authorities with Hemidactylus

Ebenavia

Malagasy Geckos

Madagascar, Tanzania and Mauritius 

2

 

Elasmodactylus

C & SE Africa

2

Formerly part of the genus Pachydactylus.

Geckoella


India and Sri Lanka

7


Geckolepis

 

Madagascar 

3

 

Geckonia

Helmet Geckos

North Africa

1

Now reassigned. 

Gehyra

Sugar Geckos

Indo-Pacific 

 34

 

Gekko

True or Calling Geckos*

Asia

30

 Large, colourful and vocal geckos: includes the Tokay Gecko G. gecko

Goggia

Leaf-Toed Geckos

Southern Africa 

8

 

Hemidactylus

Leaf-Toed Geckos*

Originally Africa: now distributed also in Asia, Australia and the Americas 

78

A few species of this large genus are offered frequently in the pet trade.

Hemiphyllodactylus

Half-Leaf-Fingered Geckos

India, China, SE Asia, Oceania: introduced into Japan and Hawaii

4

 

Homopholis

African Velvet Geckos

Sub-Saharan Africa

3

 

Lepidodactylus

Dwarf Geckos

SE Asia, Oceania and Australia, introduced into the Americas 

31

L. lugubris, the most widespread species of the genus, is parthenogenetic in at least some populations. 

Luperosaurus

Wolf Geckos

Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia

8

 

Lygodactylus

Dwarf/Painted Geckos

Africa and Madagascar

63

 

Matoatoa

 

Madagascar 

2

 

Mediodactylus

Europe, Middle East and Central Asia

13

Former Carinatogecko/Cyrtopodion/Cyrtodactylus species.

Microgecko




Former Tropiocolotes species.

Nactus

 

Mauritius, Oceania, Indonesia and Australia

8

Most species in this genus were formerly members of others. Some parthenogenetic populations. 

Narudasia

Festive Geckos

Namibia

1

 

Pachydactylus

Thick-Fingered Geckos*

Southern Africa

39

Includes the popular P. ocellatus, formerly often mistakenly labelled P. bibroni.

Palmatogecko

Web-Footed Geckos

Namibia

1

Now considered by some authorities to belong to Pachydactylus.

Paragehyra

 

Madagascar 

2

 

Paroedura

Big-Headed Geckos *

Madagascar

15

 

Perochirus

Tropical Geckos

Philippines, Oceania and Japan 

3

 

Phelsuma

Day Geckos*

Madagascar, Indian Ocean and occasionally Africa

40

Extremely colourful and popular diurnal lizards. Some are tricky to maintain in captivity. 

Pseudogekko

False Geckos

Philippines

4

 

Ptenopus

Barking Geckos

Southern Africa

3

Vocal geckos

Ptychozoon

Flying/Gliding Geckos

SE Asia

Species glide by means of skin flaps between limbs and body

Rhinogecko

Middle East and Central Asia

2

Former Agamura species.

Rhoptropella

Namaqua Day Gecko

Namibia and RSA

1


Rhoptropus

Namib Day Geckos 

Southern Africa

7

Found in other countries besides Namibia. 

Stenodactylus

Short-Fingered Geckos

Middle East, Arabia, North Africa, Horn of Africa and Kenya

11

 

Tenuidactylus

C Asia

7

Former Cyrtodactylus/Cyrtopodion species.

Teratolepis

Viper Geckos

India 

2

Now considered part of Hemidactylus.

Tropiocolotes

Dwarf/Pygmy Geckos*

N Africa

8

1 species regularly offered in pet trade

Urocotyledon

 

W & E Africa, Seychelles

5

 

Uroplatus

Leaf-Tailed Geckos*

Madagascar

14

Fascinating if somewhat bizarre-looking animals: not for beginners



Bibliography

General Care and Maintenance of Tokay Geckos and Related Species, McKeown and Zaworski, Herpetocultural Library 1997. If you want to keep any of the Gekko, Ptychozoon or Cyrtodactylus species, I thoroughly recommend this book.

Lizards of the World, Mattison

Keeping and Breeding Lizards, Mattison

Lizard-Keeper's Handbook, de Vosjoli, Herpetocultural Library Series, 1994.

Lizard Care from A to Z, Bartlett and Bartlett, Barrons 1997.

Echsen [Lizards] 1, Rogner, Ulmer 1992.

Geckos: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual, Bartlett and Bartlett, Barrons 1995.

Geckos: Keeping and Breeding Them in Captivity, Walls and Walls, TFH 1999.

Breeding and Keeping Geckos, Coborn, TFH 1995. Both Coborn and the Walls' book offer excellent information on many of the gecko species, including some useful descriptions of the rarer Australo-Pacific species, as does Rogner's book.

Grzimek, Volume 6, Reptiles. (see Bibliography on the main Gecko page).

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