Persian Leaf-Toed Gecko

Habitat:

This is a new species to Qatar that was discovered on Halul island in spring 2013. To date it has not been found in any other zone of Qatar. This is a small lizard with a total length smaller than 15 cm. They have adhesive pads in their toes to improve climbing trees and walls. This is a nocturnal species and during the day it hides under rocks, vegetation and crevices and is difficult to locate. It is present on hard stony soils with bushes and in gardens with ornamental trees and vegetation in humanized habitats. The major predators in Halul island are birds and cats that were introduced by man. The lizard eats insects and other small invertebrates. Females lay eggs

World Distribution:

The species occurs in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, India, northeast Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, North Oman, the UAE and Qatar. Its type locality is in Persia.

Conservation status:

It is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List

Scientific publications:

We have found 33 scientific publications for this species in international databases. Most studies are general about their geographic distribution and description of new records. Others focus on ecology, physiology, osteology and behaviour. No information about the ecology of the species exists for Qatar

Similar species:

Hemidactylus robustus

Description:

Anderson, 1872