Predation by the wolfsnake Lycodon aulicus (Linnaeus, 1758) on the house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus Duméril & Bibron, 1836 in Tsirang District, Kingdom of Bhutan

Abstract

Wolfsnakes, genus <i>Lycodon</i> Fitzinger, 1826, are known to prey upon rodents and frogs (Fritts, 1993), and they may even endanger the survival of bird species (Khamcha and Gale, 2020). However, their biggest impact as a predator is most likely on the broad variety of lizards they consume, including house geckos, skinks, and agamids (Fritts, 1993; Pauwels et al., 2005; Vogel et al., 2009; Zhang and Wang, 2014). <i>Lycodon aulicus</i> (Linnaeus, 1758) in particular is known to feed on common house geckos (Daniel, 2002; Jackson and Fritts, 2004) and, consequently, it may frequently be seen in and around residential buildings where these prey species are most commonly encountered (Shroff, 2016).