Age, Growth and Longevity of Kotschy-s Gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi (Steindachner, 1870) (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) from Central Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

We studied the age structure of Kotschy-s gecko, Mediodactylus kotschyi, from the Sultan Mountains (Central Anatolia, Turkey) using the skeletochronological method. We examined the humeral diaphyseal cross sections of a total of 19 (six males and 13 females) museum specimens. Our results showed that the age structure ranged from three to seven years (mean = 4.2 years, SD = 1.47) in males and from two to eight years (mean = 4.5 years, SD = 1.81) in females. Both sexes reached sexual maturity after their second hibernation, and no statistically significant difference in age composition was observed between the sexes. There was a strong positive correlation between SVL and age (Spearman-s correlation coefficient, r = 0.93) and Von Bertalanffy growth curves fitted to the relationships between age (k = 0.80) and SVL (SVLmax = 42.4). In conclusion, M. kotschyi is a short-lived species with a high growth rate.