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Title:	Sexual dimorphism in head size of the Mediterranean gecko Hemidactylus turcicus (Sauria: Gekkonidae)
Author(s):	Saenz, Daniel; Conner, Richard N.
Date:	1996
Source:	Texas Journal of Science. 48(3):207-212
Description:	Comparisons were made between 53 female and 67 male Mediterranean geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus) collected from the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Head dimensions (length, depth and width) and weight of adult males and females were compared with analysis of covariance using snout-vent-length as a covariate. Males were significantly larger in head size and weight at a given snout-vent-length. Males and females did not differ significantly in snout-vent-length. Larger heads in males may be the result of sexual selection, as males with larger heads may exhibit greater success in intrasexual encounters. There may also be an ecological advantage for larger body size in females resulting in parallel increases in body size in both sexes. Larger females may produce better quality eggs which may enhance survival rates in offspring.
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