SUMMARY

• PREVALENCE: Uncommon

• ACTIVE PERIOD: Nocturnal

• KEY ID FEATURES: Much larger than all other gecko species in Hong Kong, black, grey, white and brown or orange body color, black and white banded tail

• BEHAVIOR: Found on walls, trees, light posts and can be heard calling at night

• SIZE: 30+cm

• IUCN: LC - Least Concerned

RANGE

GALLERY

IMPORTANT: Many geckos look similar and require experience to identify. Geckos and skinks also drop their tails readily if handled which is a stressful and energy intensive issue, so great care should be taken when interacting with lizards in Hong Kong.

DESCRIPTION

Reeves tokay gecko is Hong Kong’s largest gecko species at more than double the length of other local geckos and much larger in terms of total mass. They are black, white, grey and orange or brown with tubercles covering the body. These colors arrange in bands on the back and are mottled on the head and flanks. The tail is banded black and white unless it has been regenerated in which case it is normally all black. They have large, broad heads with gold or light orange colored eyes.

The pads or “Lamellae” on the feet are arranged in single rows on all digits with claws extending beyond the end most lamellae, also on each digit. Approximately 16 to 22 lamellae on the digits of the forelimb. 16 to 23 lamellae on the the rearlimb digits. Lamellae pad count may vary slightly between individuals.

The tail is conical with tubercles unless it has been regenerated in which case it is smooth.

BEHAVIOR

This species is capable of establishing populations in forested and disturbed habitat as well as in populated areas. They can often be found at night rclimbing on walls and other structures in search of insects and other prey. They are also often found on large trees and occasionally lamp posts.

As with most gecko species in Hong Kong, Reeves tokay geckos lay one to two eggs at a time in crevices and otherwise hard to access spots.

They are perhaps most famous for their call at night which sounds like “TO-KAY”, which is how their name was derived.

HABITAT

Reeves tokay geckos are wide spreak being found on Hong Kong Island, the New Territories and Lantau, but tend to have discrete populations making them a slightly less likely encounter.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Reeves tokay geckos can be mistaken for the introduced tokay gecko (Gekko gecko). These species are also known to interbreed creating hybrids making identification difficult. Generally speaking tokay geckos are more vibrantly colored than Reeves, especially in terms of the orange/red markings, but this is not a dependable method to differentiate the species.