A record of an Asian house gecko, Hemidactylus frenatus, from Laos as a host of the pentastome, Kiricephalus pattoni, with comments on the distribution and natural history of this parasite

An Asian house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus Schlegel, 1836) was collected in a forested area near the town of Thakhek, Laos. Inspection of the lizard revealed that it had a subcutaneous lump on its abdomen, which was determined to be caused by a nymph of the pentastome Kiricephalus pattoni (Stephens, 1908). Although H. frenatus has been recorded as a host of K. pattoni in Taiwan, Thakhek, Laos represents a new distribution record for this parasite.