First record of the alien gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron, 1836) (Gekkonidae) in the Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve, Costa Rica

By

Dal Zotto, Matteo
Romeo, Giuseppe
Saponi, Francesco
Toldo, Tommaso
Vaccari, Andrea

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024-3-13

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

20

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

505--509

Subjects

Alien species , Central America , Gekkota , herpetofauna , Neotropics , Reptiles

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/20.2.505

 

Abstract

Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron, 1836) is a parthenogenetic gekkonid originally distributed in southeast Asia but introduced to numerous countries worldwide. Its geographic range is expanding in several tropical regions due to anthropogenic activities. Here we report the first presence data for this species from the Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco in northwestern Costa Rica. Our in‑situ observation provides evidence that the geographic range of L. lugubris is expanding northwards along the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and, more generally, of Central America.