Ringed Wall Gecko - Tarentola annularis

Established in Florida, California and Arizona.

Apparently widespread in the Phoenix metropolitan area, possibly as the result of the intentional release of pets purchased by homeowners then released to control scorpions.
(Garcia, Sullivan, Bowker, Babb, Jones, Herpetological Review 51(4), 2020.)


Distribution in California

A population of T. annularis has been documented in Redlands, San Bernardino County.

In 2006 it was reported on the internet that there was a population of these geckos in Redlands. Comments in the H.E.R.P. database records indicate they have been present at least as early as 2002.

An unconfirmed rumor claims that the site of introduction was a pet store that was in the area but which no longer exists, that the store purchased a large group of the geckos in 1995, that an employee accidentally left their cage doors open and a number of geckos escaped into the store, and that despite store employees efforts to collect them all, they began breeding and about a year later had become established outside the store, which was confirmed when neighbors began bringing juveniles to the store to find out what they were.

William Flaxington confirmed that the geckos were still there in 2007. Some of his photos can be seen above.
Jonathan Hakkim confirmed that they were still present in 2010 and 2012.
You should be able to see Jonathan's photos and those taken by other photographers and their habitat on the H.E.R.P. dababase here.  If this link no longer works, go to the H.E.R.P. database and search for Tarentola annularis.

In 2013 I gave Kent Beaman of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles the locality information William Flaxington gave me for the geckos. Beaman had already searched for the geckos in Redlands but in the wrong area. With the correct location information he was able to collect some specimens for the museum and publish the first documentation that the species was established in California in September, 2014. (Kent R. Beaman and David M. Goodward. Verified by Clark Mahrdt. Herpetological Review 45(3), 2014). (Their note did not mention William Flaxington's contribution to the effort.)


An established population of non-native geckos preseumed to be T. annularis was discovered in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County in September, 2019. These geckos were confirmed to be T. annularis and documented in March, 2021.
(Samuel R. Fisher, Chelsea E. Martin, Robert N. Fisher. Herpetological Review 52(1), 2021.

Two subspecies are recognized:

Tarentola annularis annularis Geoffroy De St-Hilaire 1827
Tarentola annularis relicta Joger 1984


Alternate and Previous Names

White-spotted Wall Gecko

Mediterranean Gecko - Hemidactylus turcicus 
Indo-Pacific Gecko - Hemidactylus garnotii (Fox Gecko, Garnot's House Gecko)
Tropical House Gecko - Hemidactylus mabouia (Woodslave)
Common House Gecko - Hemidactylus frenatus
Flat-tailed House Gecko - Hemidactylus platyurus
Moorish Gecko - Tarentola mauritanica  
Keeled Rock Gecko - Cyrtopodion scabrum (Bow-footed Gecko, Keeled Gecko, Rough-tailed Gecko)
Peninsular Leaf-toed Gecko - Phyllodactylus nocticolus