Lepidodactylus lugubris
(Duméril and Bibron, 1836)
LEH-pid-oh-DAK-til-us — loo-GOO-bris
SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
Native from southern Asia through much of the Pacific. It was introduced via the pet trade in 2005 and is established in St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, Florida (Meshaka et al., 2004, The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. Krieger, Melbourne, Florida; Krysko et al., 2011, Zootaxa 3028: 1–64; Krysko, 2019, Lepidodactylus lugubris. Pages 335–336 in Krysko et al. (Editors) Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida), and throughout Hawai'i (Oliver and Shaw, 1953, Zoologica 38: 65– 95; Hunsaker and Breese, 1967, Pacific Science 21: 423–428; McKeown, 1978, Hawaiian reptiles and amphibians. Oriental Publishing Company, Honolulu, Hawai'i. 80pp). McKeown (1996, A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Incorporated, Los Osos, California) questioned if L. lugubris was present in Hawai’i before the arrival of Europeans. This taxon is a unisexual complex of diploid and triploid populations of apparently independent origins (Moritz et al., 1993, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 48: 113–133; Volobouev, 1994, Biogeographica 70: 14).
(Krysko, Kenneth and Travis W. Taggart. 2025. Established Exotic Species. Pages 64-87 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)
Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2025.04.03.12.52.17)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 1.42 MB
Province/State Distribution:
United States: Hawaii
Taxonomic Etymology:
A parthenogenetic gecko Named for its scaly toes and somber coloration.
Lepidodactylus — From Greek lepis (λεπίς), “scale,” and dactylos (δάκτυλος), “finger” or “toe.” Refers to the scaly digits typical of the genus—“scaly-toed.”
lugubris — Latin for “mournful” or “sorrowful.” Likely refers to the drab, grayish or brownish coloration of the gecko, perceived as somber or “mournful.”
First instance(s) of published English names:
No historic English names have been assigned to this taxon yet.
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
The Reptile Database
GenBank
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
Selected References:
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1836
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Dumeril, A. M. Constant and Gabriel Bibron. Erpetologie Generale ou Histoire Naturelle Complete Des Reptiles. Tome Troisieme. [General Herpetology or Complete Natural History of Reptiles. Volume Three.] Librairie Encyclopedique de Roret, Paris, France. 517pp.
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1953
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Oliver, James A. and Charles Shaw. The amphibians and reptiles of the Hawaiian Islands. Zoologica 38:65- 95
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1961
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Smith, Hobart M. and Chapman Grant. The mourning Gecko in the Americas. Herpetologica 17(1):68
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1967
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Hunsaker, Don, II, and Paul Breese. Herpetofauna of the Hawaiian Islands. Pacific Science 21(July):423-428
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1978
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McKeown, Sean. Hawaiian reptiles and amphibians. Oriental Publishing Company, Honolulu, Hawai'i. 80pp.
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1996
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McKeown, Sean. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians in the Hawaiian Islands. Diamond Head Publishing, Inc., Los Osos, California. pp.
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2004
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Meshaka, Walter E. Jr., B. P. Butterfield, and H. T. Smith. The Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. Krieger, Melbourne, Florida. pp.
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2011
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Krysko, Kenneth L., Joseph P. Burgess, Michael R. Rochford, Christopher R. Gillette, Daniel Cueva, Kevin M. Enge, Louis A. Somma, Jennifer L. Stabile, Dustin C. Smith, Joseph A. Wasilewski, Guy N. Kieckhefer III, Michael C. Granatosky & Stuart V. Nielsen. Verified non-indigenous amphibians and reptiles in Florida from 1863 through 2010: Outlining the invasion process and identifying invasion pathways and stages. Zootaxa 3028(1):1-64
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