Historical context, current status and management priorities for introduced asian house geckos at ashmore reef, north-western Australia

Abstract

The Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) shows the largest non-native distribution of any gekkonid and has been introduced to numerous oceanic islands around the world. Since 1990, it has been naturalised at Ashmore Reef, a small group of islands, cays and reef flats in the Timor Sea within the maritime borders of Australia. This note provides an updated assessment of its population status and distribution at Ashmore Reef based on surveys conducted in May 2019 and formulates ecological insight to factors that may be influencing the presence of geckos on the islands. In doing so, it aims to provide context relevant to informing suitable future research and management options.