---
title: "Europese tjitjak"
description: "Hemidactylus turcicus — Reptielen. The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is a species of house gecko native to the Mediterranean region, from which it has spread to many parts of the world including parts of East Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the Southern and Southeastern United States."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/mediterranean-house-gecko
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Europese tjitjak

> Hemidactylus turcicus — Reptielen. The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is a species of house gecko native to the Mediterranean region, from which it has spread to many parts of the world including parts of East Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the Southern and Southeastern United States.

- Scientific name: *Hemidactylus turcicus*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptielen)
- Habitats: `urban` (Steden en tuinen)
- iNaturalist observations: 56015
- Wikidata: [Q836347](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q836347)
- iNaturalist taxon: [34435](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/34435)

## Names

- en: Mediterranean House Gecko
- de: Europäischer Halbfingergecko
- es: Geco casero del Mediterráneo
- fr: Hémidactyle verruqueux
- nl: Europese tjitjak
- pt: Osga-turca
- pl: Gekon turecki

## Countries with the most observations

US (42235), GR (2397), MX (1864), IT (1499), ES (1268), HR (1245), TR (744), IL (633), FR (449), PT (311), ME (288), CY (209)

## Summary

The Mediterranean house gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus) is a species of house gecko native to the Mediterranean region, from which it has spread to many parts of the world including parts of East Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the Southern and Southeastern United States. It is commonly referred to as the Turkish gecko as represented in its Latin name and also as the moon lizard because it tends to emerge in the evening.
A study in Portugal found H. turcicus to be totally nocturnal, with its highest activity around 02:00. It is insectivorous, rarely exceeds 15 cm (5.9 in) in length, has large, lidless eyes…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_house_gecko

## Photo

![Europese tjitjak](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/mediterranean-house-gecko/medium.jpg)

Photo: Perry McDonald · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/129155474

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/mediterranean-house-gecko?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).