Natural History Of The Gecko Hemidactylus Prashadi: Demography, Spatial Partitioning, Diet, And Reproduction In A Human-Altered Habitat

Human-induced alterations have had a profound impact on the environment affecting several species. Many lizards, however, especially members of the gecko genus Henadactylas, are cosmopolitan and are found living on buildings in urban areas. Nevertheless, how some reptiles colonize and thrive in human-altered habitats remain relatively less explored, partly due to the lack of adequate natural history on different species. Here, we study the natural history of Prashad's Gecko (Hensidactylas prashadi), a poorly studied, large-bodied gecko, which is believed to have recently colonized houses in the study region. We report new populations of this species extending the range further south to Kerala, India. We also studied the demographic structure, spatial partitioning, diet, and reproduction of the lizard in a residential building in Kozhikode district, Kerala. We found the population in the building was dominated by adult females and juveniles, while adult males and sub-adults were few. Perch height and non-lethal injuries of individuals on the building suggest intense intraspecific competition and spatial partitioning between juveniles and adults. Diet was mostly arthropods but showed low frequency of light-attracted insects. Reproduction extended from November to May with a clutch size of two eggs, but we also observed an instance of possible communal nesting. Overall, our study provides detailed natural history of a population of H. prashadi, which has recently started occupying human-altered habitats.