Hemidactylus mabouia
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
The tropical house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia), also called the cosmopolitan house gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to sub-Saharan Africa. However, it is also found in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, where it has been inadvertently introduced by humans.
The tropical house gecko has an average total length of 10–12.7 centimetres (3.9–5.0 in) (including tail) and an average mass of 4.6 grams (0.16 oz). Females are on average somewhat larger than males, with the male average snout-to-vent length (SVL) being 51.56 mm (2.030 in) and the female average SVL being 54.47 mm (2.144 in). Normally coloured in black and brown bands, this gecko can slowly change its colour based on its ambient temperature and lighting; its scales vary in colour from dark brown to light grey. The tropical house gecko bears particularly scaly lamellae on the underside of its toes, enabling it to grip onto vertical surfaces.
The diet of H. mabouia is varied, and includes animals such as isopods, centipedes, spiders, scorpions, cockroaches, beetles, moths, flies, mosquitoes, snails, slugs, frogs, anoles, other geckos and blind... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Maputo | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | |
| 3 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Curitiba | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Zanzibar City | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 7 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 8 | Lilongwe | 🇲🇼 Malawi | |
| 9 | Manaus | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical House Gecko sighting in Lusaka on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 6 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Tropical House Gecko in Lusaka on a given day, against under 5% in January and March–July, the lowest months. That is one of Lusaka's driest months, with almost no rain against 210 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Tropical House Gecko sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
16th of 39
Of the 39 cities where we can rate Tropical House Gecko sightings, Lusaka ranks 16th at about 40%. The best odds are in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia, about 50%), Maputo (Mozambique, about 50%) and Goiânia (Brazil, about 50%).
Same family: Gekkonidae
The closest relatives of the Tropical House Gecko that you can see in Lusaka (family Gekkonidae, Typical Geckos) are Angulate dwarf gecko (about 40%) and Cape Dwarf Gecko (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Tropical House Gecko is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Lusaka (13 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
