"Besuconas"
By Charlotte Rappsilber

"Hemidactylus" by Sergio Briceno Gonzalez. El Diario de Colima (Colima Diary - date not known) and translated by Charlotte Rappsilber

Most of us in Colima do not know the scientific name of the "besuconas", those little transparent animals that climb on all our walls and emit a sound similar to a kiss (beso, español). They eat insects and it is possible to see them debating with themselves when they meet a cockroach or a spider. Scientifically, these reptiles belong to the same family as the gekkos (gekkonidae) and their complete name is Hemidactylus frenatus.

Their size varies from 5 to 1 0 centimeters. It is difficult to distinguish the males from the females, since the only difference being the males have a thicker tail base than the females. The females have the capability of guarding the sperm for several months; thus, they can use their eggs in a way that conforms to the necessities of the population. They can put two eggs in each litter, but can do this uninterruptedly throughout a year. One of the most interesting parts of the besucona, are the paws or feet, that are endowed with a sticky substance permitting them to attach themselves to practically any surface. Although they possess the tool of camouflage, they do not usually do this very much: their pale and almost transparent color are confused with the cracks or spots on the walls. They do not construct dens or nests because they are sufficiently invisible in the ceiling tiles or behind pictures, in the corner and in clothing. They live a maxim of three years. Although some people who do not know them, fear them, others procure them because of their reproduction and multiplication properties, since the besuconas have the capacity to devour scorpions, thus providing natural barriers against poisonous insects, among others including the chince hocicona (bedbugs?) that transmit the mal de Chagas.

Naturalists agree in pointing out that this species is totally ignored, not only in Colima, but in other parts of the continent; except in El Salvador, where one can obtain a book on local herpetology that includes several studies about this forgotten little animal. Eli Greenbaum is one of the researchers on Salvadoran reptiles, and perhaps the only human being in the world who can inform us about certain habits of the besucona. Greenbaum says the repetitive sound emitted by the besucona - from here it derives its common name - varies from 1 to 3.7 seconds. But the besucona has a near relative, the Phillodactylus tuberculosus, that lives in the forest and emits a similar sound, although in this case the besos are more prolonged and end by converting into shreiks.

Where does this sound come from and how is it produced? It continues to be a mystery, in spite of out age of information. The most accepted theory is that it comes from a snapping or clicking of the tongue.

The bescucona measures an average of 50 mm. From head to anus. And his song has the purpose of marking his territory or calling for females. Also, surprisingly, he must lick his eyes with his tongue to maintain adequate moisture. He has hardly any membrane for blinking the eye.

The passion for the besucona is perhaps similar to the the way Octavio Paz feels for the salamander, to the degree of writing one of his better poems in spanish, "Salamandr: dardo solar," said Paz. " Remember that these little beings usually live near the fire, and must tolerate more than a little to stay alive."

The besucona, in contrast, who has to be less a fighter, has shown also to be able to resist high temperatures as found in the ceilings of our houses in Colima..