Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

s, containing over 950 described

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in 62

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos ('' Hemidactylus''), the tokay gecko (''

Gekko ''Gekko'' is a genus of Southeast Asian geckos, Common name, commonly known as true geckos or calling geckos, in the Family (biology), family Gekkonidae. Although species such as ''Gekko gecko'' (tokay gecko) are very widespread and common, some ...

''), day geckos ('' Phelsuma''), the mourning gecko ('' Lepidodactylus''), and dtellas ('' Gehyra''). Gekkonid geckos occur globally and are particularly diverse in tropical areas. Many species of these geckos exhibit an adhering ability to surfaces through

Van der Waals forces In molecular physics and chemistry, the van der Waals force (sometimes van der Waals' force) is a distance-dependent interaction between atoms or molecules. Unlike ionic or covalent bonds, these attractions do not result from a chemical ele ...

utilizing intermolecular forces between molecules of their setae (foot hair) and molecules of the surface they are on. The genus ''Hemidactylus'' is one of the most species-rich and widely distributed of all reptile genera.Carranza, S., and E. Arnold. "Systematics, Biogeography, and Evolution of Hemidactylus Geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) Elucidated Using Mitochondrial DNA Sequences." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, vol. 38, no. 2, Elsevier Inc, 2006, pp. 531–45, .

Fossils

The family Gekkonidae is a member of the

infraorder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between Family_(biology), family and Class_(biology), class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classific ...

Gekkota Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards f ...

, which seems to have first emerged during the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...

period (201–145 million years ago). '' Eichstaettisaurus schroederi'' is recognized as one of the earliest examples of an ancestral gecko species. Members of the genus ''Eichstaettisaurus'' display morphological adaptations associated with climbing. ''Eichstaettisaurus'' has been ranked as a stem gekkotan, but its true taxonomic rank is unclear. The species '' Hoburogekko suchanovi'' and '' Gobekko cretacicus,'' dated to the

Albian The Albian is both an age (geology), age of the geologic timescale and a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early/Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch/s ...

Aptian The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...

ages (121–100 million years ago) ages of the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 143.1 to 66 mya (unit), million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era (geology), Era, as well as the longest. At around 77.1 million years, it is the ...

period, are unquestionably members of Gekkota. They are thought to be members of the Gekkonidae, as well, but their taxonomic rank is uncertain due to the incompleteness of the fossil remains. '' Yantarogekko balticus'' is the earliest known gekkonid gecko. ''Y. balticus'' was discovered in

Baltic amber Baltic amber or succinite is amber from the Baltic region, home of its largest known deposits. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that this forested region provided the re ...

dated to the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) is a geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (Ma). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period (geology), Period in the modern Cenozoic Era (geology), Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes ...

epoch (56–33.9 million years ago). This species was small, measuring only 20–22 mm from snout to vent. ''Y. balticus'' has enlarged, undivided scansorial pads and a reduced but strongly clawed first digit, and lacks movable

eyelid An eyelid ( ) is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid, exposing the cornea to the outside, giving vision. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. "Palpebral ...

s. Together, these morphological traits are distinctive of the family Gekkonidae, and also indicate that ''Y. balticus'' may have had adhesive abilities similar to modern geckos.

Distribution

Species within the Gekkonidae inhabit every warm region. Furthermore, many genera are capable of widespread geographical habitation, and can be considered invasive in some areas; the genus ''Hemidactylus'' can be identified in all subtropical areas of the world. However, many genera in the family Gekkonidae are endemic. For example, genera ''

Afroedura ''Afroedura'' is a genus of African geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. Member species are collectively known as rock geckos or flat geckos. In 2021, four new species of ''Afroedura'' were described from Angola. Species The genus ''Afroe ...

'' and '' Afrogecko'' are found only in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The range of genus ''Lepidodactylus'' stretches from South Asia to Oceania; this genus also accounts for several island species. The genera listed here do not account for all Gekkonidae subspecies and are used only as examples of distribution. For a full list, see section 'Genera'.

Genera

Gekkonidae contains these genera: Possibly belonging to the family: '' Yantarogekko'' (fossil)

Phylogeny

Pyron, et al. (2013)Pyron, R Alexander, Frank T Burbrink and John J Wiens. 2013. A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2013 13:93. presents the following classification of ''Gekkonidae'' genera, based on

molecular phylogenetics Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

References

{{Authority control Lizard families Taxa named by John Edward Gray Geckos Extant Eocene first appearances bcl:Tukô