Lepidodactylus lugubris

Mourning geckos measure 8.5-10 cm in length. Like many of its family, it is cryptically coloured, typically light to dark tan with dark spots down the length of its back and a brown strip from the ear to the tip of the nose. Mourning geckos are capable of firing up/down to change their color, and so the same individual may appear light or dark at different times during the day.

Mourning geckos are cathemeral,[1] and can be heard and observed chirping at and chasing one another at virtually any time of day or night.

This species is notable because it is parthenogenic, which means that males are not necessary for reproduction. As such, while males do exist, they are very rare and often sterile. Females lay 1-2 eggs at a time, and glue them to surfaces in protected locations. Clutches are laid every 4-6 weeks.

This species is widespread in coastal regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans, including the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Hawai'i, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Australia (Cocos Island), Western Samoa, Guam, the Society Islands, Pitcairn, and the Mascarene Islands.

It has been introduced widely in the Neotropics, including in Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador (including the Galapagos), Colombia and Chile, as well as to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

Mourning geckos are omnivorous. In the wild, they eat a varied diet of insects, fruit, and pollen. In captivity they will typically eat tiny calcium-dusted insects and crested gecko diet.

Because they are parthenogenic, mourning geckos breed very well in captivity, and most pet mourning geckos are captive-bred. Their care requirements are relatively simple, and because of their social nature, they can make amusing pets.

• Boissinot, Stéphane; Ineich, Ivan; Thaler, Louis; Guillaume, Claude-P (1997). "Hybrid Origin and Clonal Diversity in the Parthenogenetic Gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris in French Polynesia". Journal of Herpetology. 31 (2): 295–298. doi:10.2307/1565401. JSTOR 1565401.
• Chazeau, Jean; Bauer, Aaron M (1991). "Lepidodactylus lugubris [distribution in New Caledonia]". Herpetological Review. 22 (3): 103.
• Cuéllar, Orlando; Kluge, Arnold G (1972). "Natural parthenogenesis in the gekkonid lizard Lepidodactylus lugubris". Journal of Genetics. 61 (1): 14–26. doi:10.1007/BF02984098. S2CID 41290668.
• Cuellar, Orlando (1984). "Histocompatibility in Hawaiian and Polynesian populations of the parthenogenetic gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris". Evolution. 38 (1): 176–185. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1984.tb00270.x. PMID 28556082. S2CID 6809269.
• Hanley, Kathryn A; Bolger, Douglas T; Case, Ted (1994). "Comparative ecology of sexual and asexual gecko species (Lepidodactylus) in French Polynesia". Evolutionary Ecology. 8 (4): 435–454. doi:10.1007/BF01238194. S2CID 21626724.
• Henderson, R. W., VILLA, J., & DIXON, J. R. 1976 Lepidodactylus lugubris (Reptilia: Gekkonidae). A recent addition to the herpetofauna of Nicaragua. Herpetol. Rev. 7:173.
• Jarecki, L. & Lazell, J.D. 1987 Zur Grösse und Dichte einer Population von Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron 1836) in Aiea, Hawaii (Sauria: Gekkonidae). Salamandra 23 (2/3): 176-178
• Kikukawa, Akira 1999 Geographic distribution. Lepidodactylus lugubris Herpetological Review 30 (1): 52
• Mau, K.-G. 1978 Nachweis natürlicher Parthenogenese bei Lepidodactylus lugubris durch Gefangenschaftsnachzucht (Reptilia: Sauria: Gekkonidae). Salamandra 14 (2): 90-97
• Pasteur, G.;Agnese, J.-F.;Blanc, C. P.;Pastuer, N. 1987 Polyclony and low relative heterozygosity in a widespread unisexual vertebrate, Lepidodactylus lugubris (Sauria) Genetica 75: 71-79
• Röll, B. 2002 Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron). Sauria (Suppl.) 24 (3): 545-550
• Rösler, Herbert 1992 Beobachtungen an drei Männchen des parthenogenetischen Geckos Lepidodactylus lugubris (Duméril & Bibron 1836). Sauria 14 (3): 25-26
• Sengoku, Showichi 1998 Geographic Distribution. Lepidodactylus lugubris Herpetological Review 29 (2): 110
• Turner, Grant;Green, Darren 1996 Notes on the mourning gecko Lepidodactylus lugubris in the Daintree region Herpetofauna (Sydney) 26 (1): 5-7
• Villa, Jaime D. 1993 Lepidodactylus lugubris (mourning gecko). Nicaragua: Zelaya Herpetological Review 24 (3): 109
• Yamashiro, Saiko;Ota, Hidetoshi 1998 Discovery of a male phenotype of the Parthenogenetic gecko, Lepidodactylus lugubris, on Ishigakijima Island of the Yaeyama Group, Ryūkyū Archipelago Japanese Journal of Herpetology 17 (4): 152-155
• Guerreiro, Manuel.;Graterol, Gabriel.; 2012 PRIMER REGISTRO DE LEPIDODACTYLUS LUGUBRIS DUMÉRIL & BIBRON, 1836 (REPTILIA: GEKKONIDAE) PARA VENEZUELA herpetotropicos; 6(12):15-16.

• Lepidodactylus lugubris at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
• Lepidodactylus Lugubris vocalization on YouTube