Lepidodactylus lugubris
Mourning Gecko


These little geckos are native to southeast Asia, but have been introduced (presumably accidentally) in Central America as well as many other areas worldwide, including Hawaii. They are a parthenogenetic species -- all females. The one licking its eye is an adult; the one on Maria Go's finger is a tiny baby.
I had never heard an explanation for why this species is called "Mourning Geckos" until Tim G wrote me to say that when people realized that every lizard in the species was a female, someone thought they must be sad, "mourning" for never having had a mate. If you've heard a different origin for the name, I'd love to hear it, but it's going to be hard to top that one.
Here is a complete list of the species we found on this GreenTracks trip.


