Wildlifeof India
Hemidactylus maculatus
Geckos
Photo: Dr. Raju Kasambe · CC BY-SA 4.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Hemidactylus maculatus
Basic stats
Range
Western Ghats of India and parts of Sri Lanka
Size
Head and body about 11.4cm; tail about 12.7cm
Hemidactylus maculatus, the spotted leaf-toed gecko or giant spotted gecko, is a large gecko found in the Western Ghats of India and in parts of Sri Lanka. The head is large and egg-shaped, the snout is longer than the distance between the eye and the ear opening, the forehead is concave, and the ear opening is large and oval. Belly scales are smooth, roundish and overlapping (Wikipedia, general species account).
The account quotes a head-and-body length of 4.5 inches (about 11.4 cm) and a tail of 5 inches (about 12.7 cm). The Reptile Database lists Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and the race hunae from Malabar, Tirunelveli, Salem and near Chennai.
Quick answers
- Where is the Hemidactylus maculatus found?
- Western Ghats of India and parts of Sri Lanka
- How big is the Hemidactylus maculatus?
- Head and body about 11.4cm; tail about 12.7cm