# Herping at home in Cairns, or geckoes and frog



## Renenet (Dec 12, 2011)

Hi, 

This is my first herping post! I don't know if it's strictly "field" herping because I didn't actually have to go anywhere, and also my Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia is still lost in a box somewhere, but hey. I last lived in inner-city Melbourne and geckoes and frogs, however unidentified, make me excited.

Or frog, to be precise. This fellow sat on the exterior window sill for a couple of nights soon after I first arrived: 



 

 



Please tell me he's not a cane toad.

Geckoes are plentiful. I've got two kinds here that I can discern; either that or one is some kind of albino mutation: 



 

 



I love my Gecko Guard because if they weren't here I'd hate to think how many insects I'd be beating out of my hair.

About five days ago I noticed a couple of baby geckoes running around: 





I didn't see them for a couple of days and I thought they'd encountered foul play. (I did see one running past Zephyr's enclosure a couple of times - eeeeek!) Then I found one hiding under the Chux. It gave me a startled look and hurried off to hide behind the sponge instead: 



 

 


 



In the first picture you can see how tiny he or she is. That silver thing to the right is part of my water filter and attaches to a standard tap. She's about 4 centimetres long and, in that shot at least, reminds me of a tadpole with her big head and tapering tail. It's the perspective.

Assuming I'm seeing the same baby, she keeps disappearing and showing up at random moments. This afternoon, at about 4 pm, I was working at my completely disorganised desk when she shot out from underneath some rubbish and made her way to the wall. I still see her passing Zephyr's enclosure, with apparently no idea what lurks inside. 

Something I didn't know about geckoes: they jump. I haven't got a photo of that yet.


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## richoman_3 (Dec 12, 2011)

very nice!
love the frogs
the first batch are asian house geckos
im not sure if they rest are that or mourning geckos?? they look like lepidodactylus pumilus but dont think they're in cairns, probs just lugubris or ahg


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

Are Asian House Geckoes native to Australia?

I have to dig out my reptile ID book! I don't have a frog ID book yet, so if anyone can, please go ahead and identify that frog for me.


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## Poggle (Dec 13, 2011)

Renenet said:


> Are Asian House Geckoes native to Australia?
> 
> I have to dig out my reptile ID book! I don't have a frog ID book yet, so if anyone can, please go ahead and identify that frog for me.



No they are not native


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## richoman_3 (Dec 13, 2011)

no they are introduced :/
the frog is a litora sp.
not sure what but someone on here will ID it for you


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## tommy123 (Dec 13, 2011)

the Asian House Geckoes is a pest in Australia


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## Scleropages (Dec 13, 2011)

Renenet said:


> Are Asian House Geckoes native to Australia?




hehehe


nup.


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## Renenet (Dec 13, 2011)

tommy123 said:


> the Asian House Geckoes is a pest in Australia



Does that mean I can go ahead and feed them to my snake?


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## waruikazi (Dec 14, 2011)

Yes but your snake will end up full of worms.



Renenet said:


> Does that mean I can go ahead and feed them to my snake?


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## snakes123 (Dec 14, 2011)

yay first time i can ID something first 

Think its a Lepidodactylus Pumilus


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## jordanmulder (Dec 14, 2011)

The last batch of geckos are lepidodactylus lugubris, pumilis as (ben suggested above) live north of cairns... I know caus I made the same wrong Id myself.


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## Renenet (Dec 14, 2011)

waruikazi said:


> Yes but your snake will end up full of worms.



What a shame, it would have solved my mice supply problem.


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## slim6y (Dec 14, 2011)

Watch the gex... they poo everywhere and become quite nuisance with their Gnyack Gnyack Gnyack at night. 

Above all - if they get into your computer via the fan system, they tend to fry your computer and you end up needing a new one.


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## Renenet (Dec 14, 2011)

jordanmulder said:


> The last batch of geckos are lepidodactylus lugubris, pumilis as (ben suggested above) live north of cairns... I know caus I made the same wrong Id myself.



How north of Cairns? I am slightly north of Cairns CBD, near JCU. 

I'm going through an online frog database to try to find the specific speces if litoria. I'll report back if I find anything.

Edit: I'm thinking Litoria Rubella. Can anyone please confirm? Thanks.


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## Waterrat (Dec 14, 2011)

Most likely _L. rubella_. They're quite variable.


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## Renenet (Dec 14, 2011)

Thanks, Michael. Bring on the wet season, I want to see more frogs!


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## jordanmulder (Dec 15, 2011)

Renenet said:


> How north of Cairns? I am slightly north of Cairns CBD, near JCU.
> 
> I'm going through an online frog database to try to find the specific speces if litoria. I'll report back if I find anything.
> 
> Edit: I'm thinking Litoria Rubella. Can anyone please confirm? Thanks.


To be more precise I should say north of queensland


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## geckoman1985 (Dec 15, 2011)

the first photo is aaian house gecko the other photo to thr right of that are ghyra dubia and yes the photto of the little one is a morning gecko the asian and the morning gecko are introduced and the ghyra dubia is native to oz i have now ider what the frogs are tho


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## Renenet (Dec 15, 2011)

jordanmulder said:


> To be more precise I should say north of queensland



Ah ha - gotcha.



geckoman1985 said:


> The photto of the little one is a morning gecko ... the morning gecko are introduced



That's a shame. The little one is still hanging around and I've taken quite a shine to him/her. I just found her sitting on my bag.

I've watched her trying to hunt. I've never actually seen her eat anything that I can be certain of. She chases after little flies and scares them away before she reaches them.


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## GeckPhotographer (Dec 15, 2011)

*None *of them are Gehyra. 

The first batch are Asian House Geckos (_Hemidactylus frenatus_), the second is a Mourning Gecko (_Lepidodactylus lugubris_). 
While Asian House Geckos are declared foreign and pests Mourning Geckos are declared natives and are protected fauna. There is no reason to suggest that Mourning Geckos are at all introduced by man although some suggestion has been made that they island hopped within the past.

The brown frog is Litoria rubella as suggested.


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## Renenet (Dec 15, 2011)

Thanks GeckPhotographer. I was hoping for your input at some point. So I don't have to feel guilty about being fond of my little resident gecko? It's amazing how there can be so many different opinions on what something is. 

I've found my bird books and used them to identify a couple of species I haven't seen before. Still looking for my reptile book.


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## Bluetongue1 (Jan 14, 2012)

I definitely attempted to post in this threat some time back – it must have been late and I pushed the wrong button.
Agree fully with *Geckophotographer's* IDs.
Someone asked about Slender Chained Gecko (_Lepidodactylus pumilus_). It occurs in New Guinea and also on Torres Strait Islands. I don't know if it has yet been recorded on the mainland but it does occur close to the tip of Cape York. 

Blue


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## Renenet (Jan 14, 2012)

Since I posted this there's been an explosion in the population of baby geckos. I have at least eight of them living in my house and there are more outside and in the sheds. I'm too scared to do the vacuuming for fear that I'll accidentally suck one up. 

How's that for an excuse not to do the housework?


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