Age, growth and longevity of kotschy's gecko, mediodactylus kotschyi (Steindachner, 1870) (Reptilia, Gekkonidae) from Central Anatolia, Turkey

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.