Tarentola mauritanica (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) Conquering the Greek Mainland: Three New Populations from Aetoloakarnania, Western Greece

Tarentola mauritanica, also known as Moorish Gecko, is a trans-Mediterranean gecko with a large distribution, ranging from Israel and North Africa, to southern Europe, as well as on many large Mediterranean islands. In Greece, the Moorish Gecko is distributed across several islands, and the only mainland occurrences reported are from the Peloponnese (in the west and north) and very recently, from Athens. Here we present three new records of the Moorish Gecko from localities in the Aetoloakarnania prefecture (Western Greece), and briefly discuss potential scenarios of introduction and expansion of this species on the Greek mainland.

Helminth parasites of the Mediterranean gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus (Sauria: Gekkonidae), from Texas, United States with a summary of helminths of this host

One hundred-thirty six Mediterranean geckos,

COLONIZATION OF NORTHERN LOUISIANA BY THE MEDITERRANEAN GECKO, HEMIDACTYLUS TURCICUS

The Mediterranean Gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, is known to have colonized nearly every state in the southern United States. In Louisiana, the Mediterranean Gecko has been documented in many of the southern parishes, but records for the northern portion of the state are limited. We sampled northern Louisiana parishes to document the presence of the Mediterranean Gecko. We sampled a total of 21 parishes in northern Louisiana and found geckos in 17 of those parishes, 16 of which represent new distribution records for the species. This indicates a significant range expansion of this introduced species throughout northern Louisiana. Geckos were found across a temperature range of 14.0–28.0°C and had a strong association with buildings. The species’ affinity for anthropogenic association and the continual nature of anthropogenic expansion facilitate the high vagility of this species. The result is a successful colonization throughout much of Louisiana and likely continued range expansion throughout the southern United States.

ECOLOGICAL RELEASE OF AN EXOTIC SPECIES UPON SUPPRESSION OF ITS INVASIVE PREDATOR

Ecological release allows a species to expand beyond its currently occupied niche upon removal of a limiting mechanism such as a predator or competitor. Unfortunately, these interactions between exotic and invasive organisms are relatively unknown. We examine how a small-scale, intensive Red Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) eradication program may influence the herpetological and formicid community on a 1.85 ha plot in northeast Texas. Red Fire Ant mounds were individually treated with a series of pesticides in 2005, with follow up treatments in 2006 and 2007. Populations of Red Fire Ants, other ant species, reptiles, and amphibians were monitored throughout the study. Other ant species showed signs of recovery after two years of Red Fire Ant suppression. Although reptile and amphibian diversity increased during the study, only populations of the Mediterranean Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) showed a dramatic response. The removal of Red Fire Ants provided this exotic Gecko with the opportunity to proliferate. The potential for these kinds of unexpected responses must be considered when removing introduced species from communities containing multiple exotic and potentially invasive organisms.