Oriental Leaf-toed Gecko

Oriental Leaf-toed Gecko (Hemidactylus bowringii) is a gecko recorded for Vietnam in the project inventory. The supporting occurrence note is “Expert range list”. Retaining the exact scientific name is especially important because Vietnam has exceptional gecko diversity, many species are known from very small areas, and taxonomic revisions continue to separate close-looking populations. The account therefore distinguishes confirmed identity and occurrence from broader natural-history context (project species data; Reptile Database taxonomy).

Hemidactylus are nocturnal insectivorous geckos with expanded adhesive toe pads. Depending on species, they occupy forest, rocks, caves or buildings and often hunt arthropods near lights. Many lay paired hard-shelled eggs in protected cracks. Exact habitat tolerance varies greatly, so the Vietnam occurrence and taxonomic identity above should not be expanded into unsupported local breeding claims (general Hemidactylus ecology; Reptile Database).