First state record and interdiction for the Wood Slave, Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès 1818) (Gekkonidae), in Maryland, USA.

Authors

Louis A. Somma, Florida State Collection of ArthropodsFollow
William L. Grogan Jr., Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer ServicesFollow

Date of this Version

12-2013

Citation

Somma, L. A., K. L. Krysko, & W. L. Grogan, Jr. 2013. First state record and interdiction for the Wood Slave, Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès 1818) (Gekkonidae), in Maryland, USA. Reptiles & Amphibians 20(4):208-209.

Comments

Copyright © 2013. Louis A. Somma.

Abstract

The Wood Slave, Hemidactylus mabouia (Moreau de Jonnès 1818; Fig. 1), is indigenous to Africa south of the Sahara, with nonindigenous populations established in Cape Verde, Mexico, much of Central and South America, numerous localities in the Caribbean, perhaps Madagascar, and at least 21 counties in Florida, USA (Carranza and Arnold 2006; Kraus 2009; Krysko et al. 2011a, 2011b; Meshaka 2011; Powell and Henderson 2012). Recently, H. mabouia has successfully invaded temperate regions of southern Africa and northern peninsular Florida (Alexander and Marais 2007, Krysko and Somma 2007).

On 20 December 2012, Brian R. Grogan and Shane Forsythe collected and photographed one adult Hemidactylus mabouia found inside a furniture-moving truck at 8909 Amelung Street, Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland. This is a first state interdiction for Maryland and the northernmost record for H. mabouia in North America and the Western Hemisphere.