Mutilating Gecko

About the Mutilating Gecko

Gehyra mutilata, also known commonly as the common four-clawed gecko, Pacific gecko, stump-toed gecko, sugar gecko in Indonesia, tender-skinned house gecko, and butiki in Filipino, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is native to Southeast Asia. It has made its way to several areas of the world including Sri Lanka, Indochina, and many of the Pacific Islands. Compared to the common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus), the appearance of G. mutilata is somewhat plump, with delicate skin. The skin is usually colored a soft purplish/pinkish gray, with golden spots on younger specimens; these spots eventually fade with age.

The head of G. mutilata is longer than broad. The snout is longer than the distance between the eye and the ear-opening, about 1.3 times the diameter of the orbit. The forehead has a median groove. The ear-opening is moderately large and suboval. The body and limbs are moderately elongate and depressed. A fold of the skin borders the hind limb posteriorly. The digits are short and more or less webbed at the base. The inferior lamellae are angular and divided by a median groove. The upper surface of the body and the throat are... Wikipedia →