Hemidactylus depressus
—
Kandyan Gecko
Also known as:
Kandian Half-toed Gecko, Sri Lanka Leaf-toed Gecko
Hemidactylus depressus get quite large and robust compared to the Hemidactylus species I was most familiar with, like the Common House Gecko or the Asian Flat-tailed House Gecko or the Indo-Pacific House Gecko. This chunky lizard was directly above me on the roof of a cave, high up a steep rocky hill used by Buddhist monks in the olden days.
Later that evening I saw a few more of these geckos on the walls of the lodge in which I was staying. This is a much younger and more slender individual.
And here's a teeny-tiny baby one. You can see that the markings are much more distinctive on young lizards, especially the facial markings.
This one appears to be a gravid female, based on the light-colored lump visible in her side.
Online references:
- Hemidactylus depressus account on The Reptile Database
- Hemidactylus depressus account on iNaturalist
Printed references:
- Somaweera, R., Somaweera, N. 2009. Lizards of Sri Lanka: A Colour Guide with Field Keys
- de Silva, A., Ukuwela, K. 2017. A Naturalist's Guide to the Reptiles of Sri Lanka