| Summary: | 碩士 === 銘傳大學 === 生物科技學系碩士班 === 107 === Gecko monarchus, or monarch gecko is widely distributed in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. The male size is bigger than female. Maximum total length of G.m. can reach 22 cm. It prefers low-land forests and rocky area places and feeds on various kind of small invertebrates. G.m. lays eggs throughout the year, and usually stacks on the same site when the environments are suitable. G.m. is an alien invasive species in Taiwan that discovered in 2009. This study was conducted in the abandoned military tunnel in Xiaogang District, Kaohsiung City and this terrain belongs to uplifted coral reef. In the Fengtoutou area, in this research, the maximum total length of G.m. is reach 20.5 cm, while the maximum snout vent length is 9.5 cm. The favored nest site was located at the vicinity of the side branch of the tunnel. Like other species of Genus Gecko, the layer of calcium carbonate is prominent in the egg. In this study, more than 12,627 eggs were removed from June 2016 to June 2017, of which 5,994 eggs were empty(already-hatched). The average distance between each egg cluster to the nearing opening vent is 582.71 cm. Besides, this study recorded that the G.m. lays more eggs during warmer month, and the estimated population size is between 3,000 and 15,000 in the Fongbitou. Our Preliminary analysis of food habits shows G.m. is a generalist. Notably, this study recorded the egg shell and the snail shell in the stomach of 6 pregnant female of the G.m., presumably to supply enough calcium during pregnancy. In the sampling area, there are no other species of Gecko found and this may be caused by the competing out effects of habitat and food.
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