Out-competed by an invader? Interference and exploitative competition between Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia Moreau de Jonnès, 1818) and Barbados Leaf-Toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus pulcher Gray, 1828) for diurnal refuges in anthropogenic coastal habitats

House Geckos in the genus Hemidactylus are highly successful colonizers of regions beyond their native range, often resulting in displacement of native gecko species through competitive interactions for daytime refuge (crevices) and prey resources. We report on data collected from night time surveys undertaken in April-May 2014 on Barbados, West Indies, that focused on the distribution and abundance of the endemic Barbados LeafToed Gecko (Phyllodactylus pulcher) and the introduced Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) along unlit coastal walls and among boulders in the grounds of a hotel resort. In contrast to patterns of displacement of native species by H. mabouia seen elsewhere, P. pulcher was more abundant than H. mabouia on coastal walls, whereas the latter was found in greater numbers using boulders at this site. Walls and boulders differed with regard to availability of diurnal refugia suitable for geckos; with the walls having high frequency of small