Gehyra oceanica
Encyclopedia
The Oceanic Gecko, Gehyra oceanica, is a species of gecko
in the genus Gehyra
. It is also known as the Pacific Dtella or the Big Tree Gecko. The larger Gehyra vorax (voracious gecko) of Fiji, Vanuatu and New Guinea has sometimes been included in this species, but is now treated as distinct.
The species is native to New Guinea
and a number of islands in Melanesia
, Micronesia
and Polynesia
. It is has also been widely introduced
across the islands of the Pacific, reaching as far as the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia (where the species was first collected for science), although the extent to which the species has been introduced by human intervention is a matter of some debate. There are two apparent populations, a northern one in Micronesia and a southern one in Melanesia and Polynesia. There are also records of the species in New Zealand
and Hawaii
, but the species has apparently not become established there.
The species is generally arboreal
and nocturnal. The diet includes insects and even smaller geckos. Some stomachs have also been found with seeds from fruit. It reproduces sexually, and unlike some other geckos in its genus its eggs are non-adhesive. The species shares communal nests of not more than twelve eggs in each, with only two eggs being laid by a female at a time. These eggs have a long incubation time, up to 115 days. It inhabits a range of habitats including plantations, gardens, and disturbed and undisturbed forests. The species will also feed inside human buildings, but is not described as commensal.
Gecko
Geckos are lizards belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from 1.6 cm to 60 cm....
in the genus Gehyra
Gehyra
Gehyra is a genus of geckos known commonly as Web-toed Geckos or Dtellas. Dtellas are moderately-sized geckos; the species have a wide range of habitat, covering most of the Oceania and Melanesian Islands up to Ryukyu Islands and Thailand....
. It is also known as the Pacific Dtella or the Big Tree Gecko. The larger Gehyra vorax (voracious gecko) of Fiji, Vanuatu and New Guinea has sometimes been included in this species, but is now treated as distinct.
The species is native to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and a number of islands in Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
, Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
and Polynesia
Polynesia
Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. It is has also been widely introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
across the islands of the Pacific, reaching as far as the Marquesas Islands in Polynesia (where the species was first collected for science), although the extent to which the species has been introduced by human intervention is a matter of some debate. There are two apparent populations, a northern one in Micronesia and a southern one in Melanesia and Polynesia. There are also records of the species in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, but the species has apparently not become established there.
The species is generally arboreal
Arboreal locomotion
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In every habitat in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may only scale trees occasionally, while others are exclusively arboreal. These habitats pose numerous mechanical challenges to animals...
and nocturnal. The diet includes insects and even smaller geckos. Some stomachs have also been found with seeds from fruit. It reproduces sexually, and unlike some other geckos in its genus its eggs are non-adhesive. The species shares communal nests of not more than twelve eggs in each, with only two eggs being laid by a female at a time. These eggs have a long incubation time, up to 115 days. It inhabits a range of habitats including plantations, gardens, and disturbed and undisturbed forests. The species will also feed inside human buildings, but is not described as commensal.