Hemidactylus frenatus (Duméril & Bibron, 1836)

Cuadrado, Stefania S., Loor, Yelsin A. & Narváez, Andrea E., 2020, Herpetofauna of Engabao, Playas Canton, Ecuador, with notes on the occurrence of Ceratoprhys stolzmanni (Steindachner, 1882), Check List 16 (3), pp. 665-674 : 668-669

Hemidactylus frenatus (Duméril & Bibron, 1836) Figure 2C

Material examined. ECUADOR, province of Guayas, Playas Canton, Engabao • 1♀, 53 mm; unvegetated dis- turbed area near a farmhouse; 02°36′41″S, 080°26′14″W; 12 m a.s.l; 31 Mar. 2019; Stefania S. Cuadrado, Yel- sin A. Loor leg.; UG-R175 • 1 specimen (sex undeter- mined), 50 mm; unvegetated disturbed area under a log near a farmhouse; 02°36′35″S, 080°26′13″W; 12 m a.s.l; 26 Apr. 2019; Stefania S. Cuadrado, Yelsin A. Loor leg.; UG-R174.

Identification. This species is distinguished from other Hemidactylus species by presenting long divided digital pads, non-retractable claws, and digits without basal membranes. It differs from Lepidodactylus lugubris in having a claw on all digits, a terminal phalanx, and a free claw on a digital expansion ( Savage 2002).

We found this species at both sites using artificial surfaces to perch between 11:00 and 21:30. This species is reported as highly tolerant to the disturbances ( Torres-Carvajal and Guerra-Correa 2019), and we mainly observed it in the roofs of farm houses, under zinc sheets, cut logs, and reeds.

Distribution. Hemidactylus frenatus is native to tropical Asia and Indo-Pacific region ( IUCN 2010). It has been introduced to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Eastern Pacific and South America ( Case et al. 1994). In South America, this species has been reported from western Venezuela near the border with Colombia, and, in Ecuador, from the provinces of El Oro, Los Ríos, Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, Sucum- bíos, Orellana, Pastaza, and Galápagos ( Case et al. 1994; R ö ll 2001; Torres-Carvajal and Tapia 2011; Pazmiño-Ot- amendi 2019).