Sphaerodactylus Explained
Sphaerodactylus is a genus of geckos from the Americas[1] that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, from which their name (Sphaero = round, dactylus = finger) is derived. All species in this genus are rather small, but two species, S. ariasae and S. parthenopion, are tiny, and – with a snout-vent length of about 1.6cm (00.6inches) – the smallest reptiles in the world.[2]
Fossil record
Fossil remains referred to Sphaerodactylus have been recovered from Dominican amber.[3]
Species
The following 108 species are recognized as being valid.[4]
- Sphaerodactylus alphus - Guanaja large-scaled geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus altavelensis - Alto Velo least gecko, Alto Velo sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus argivus - Cayman least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus argus - ocellated gecko, ocellated sphaero, stippled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus ariasae - Jaragua sphaero, Jaragua dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus armasi - Guantanamo least gecko, Guantanamo coastal gecko
- Sphaerodactylus armstrongi - Armstrong's least gecko, southern forest geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus asterulus - Haitian least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus beattyi - Saint Croix's sphaero, Beatty's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus becki - Beck's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus bromeliarum - El Yunque least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus caicosensis - Caicos banded sphaero, Caicos least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus callocricus - rough-banded sphaero, callous least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus celicara - Baracoan eyespot sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus cinereus - gray gecko
- Sphaerodactylus clenchi - peninsula least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus cochranae - Cochran's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus continentalis - upper Central American geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus copei - Cope's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus corticola - central Bahamas sphaero, Rum Cay least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus cricoderus - Turquino collared sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus cryphius - Bakoruco least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus dacnicolor - Jamaican tailspot sphaero, eastern Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni - Darlington's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus difficilis - Hispaniolan eyespot sphaero, difficult least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus dimorphicus - Santiago de Cuba geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus docimus - Cabo Cruz banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus dunni - Dunn's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus elasmorhynchus - Marche Leon least gecko, snout-shield sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus elegans - ashy gecko
- Sphaerodactylus elegantulus - Antigua least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus epiurus - Hispaniolan tailspot sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus exsul - Swan Islands geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus fantasticus - fantastic least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus gaigeae -chevronated sphaero, Gaige's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus gilvitorques - Jamaican collared sphaero, Jamaican least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus glaucus - collared dwarf gecko, least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus goniorhynchus - Jamaican forest sphaero, Cakoarita least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus grandisquamis - big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
- Sphaerodactylus graptolaemus - Costa Rica least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus guanajae - Guanaja head-spotted geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus heliconiae
- Sphaerodactylus homolepis - Caribbean least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus inaguae [5] - Inagua sphaero, Inagua least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus inigoi - Isla Vieques dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus intermedius - Mantanzas least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus kirbyi - Bequia dwarf gecko, Bequia sphaero, Grenadines sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus klauberi - Klauber's dwarf gecko, Klauber's least gecko, Puerto Rican highland sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus ladae - Martin Garcia least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus lazelli - Cap-Haitien least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus leonardovaldesi
- Sphaerodactylus leucaster - eastern least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus levinsi - Desecheo gecko, Isla Desecheo least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus lineolatus - Panama least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus macrolepis - big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
- Sphaerodactylus mariguanae - southern Bahamas sphaero, Mayaguana least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus microlepis - little-scaled least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus micropithecus - Monito gecko
- Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus - spotted least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus molei - Tobago least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus monensis - Mona least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus nicholsi - Nichols least gecko, Nichol's dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican crescent sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus - black-spotted least gecko, three-banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus notatus - reef gecko, brown-speckled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus nycteropus - Morne Dubois least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus ocoae - Peravia least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus oliveri - Juventud least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus omoglaux - Fond Parisien least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus oxyrhinus - Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus pacificus - Pacific least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus parkeri - Parker's least gecko, southern Jamaica banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus parthenopion - Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero, Virgin Gorda least gecko, Virgin Islands dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus parvus - Anguilla Bank geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus perissodactylius - Dominican least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus phyzacinus - Les Saintes geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus pimienta - pepper sphaero, Cuban pepper sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus plummeri - Barahona big-scaled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus poindexteri - Utila small-scaled geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus ramsdeni - Ramsden's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus randi - Pedernales least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus rhabdotus - two-striped sphaero, Vallede Neiba least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus richardi - Richard's banded sphaero, Zapata big-scaled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus richardsonii - Richardson's least gecko, northern Jamaica banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus roosevelti - Roosevelt's beige sphaero, Roosevelt's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus rosaurae - Bay Island least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus ruibali - Ruibal's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus sabanus - Saba least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus samanensis - Samana least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus savagei - Altagracia speckled sphaero, Savage's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus scaber - double-collared sphaero, Camaguey least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus scapularis - Boulenger's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus schuberti - Neiba agave geckolet, Neiba agave sphaero, Schubert's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus schwartzi - Guantanamo collared sphaero, Monitongas collared geckolet, Schwartz's dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus semasiops - Cockpit eyespot sphaero, Cockpit least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus shrevei - Shreve's least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus siboney - Siboney gray-headed geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus sommeri - TerreNueve least gecko, Terre-Neuve least gecko, northwest Haitian banded geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus sputator - island least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus storeyae - Isle of Pines sphaero, Los Canarreos sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus streptophorus - Hispaniola least gecko, Hispaniolan small-eared sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus thompsoni - Thompson's least gecko, Barahona limestone sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus torrei - Barbour's least gecko, Cuban broad-banded geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus townsendi - Townsend's least gecko, Townsend's dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican sandy geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus underwoodi - Underwood's least gecko, Turks Islands geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus verdeluzicola - Puerto Rican karst gecko
- Sphaerodactylus vincenti - Vincent's least gecko, Central Lesser Antillean sphaero, Windward geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus williamsi - Williams's least gecko, Haitian striped geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus zygaena - Dame-Marie least gecko, Tiburon coastal geckolet
Nota bene
A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Sphaerodactylus.
Further reading
- Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (Sphaerodactylus, pp. 142–164).
- Wagler J (1830). Natürliches System der AMPHIBIEN, mit vorangehender Classification der SÄUGTHIERE und VÖGEL. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie. Munich, Stuttgart and Tübingen: J.G. Cotta. vi + 354 pp. + one plate. (Sphaerodactylus, new genus, p. 143). (in German and Latin).
Notes and References
- [species:Tony Gamble|Gamble T]
- Pennsylvania State University (2001). World's Smallest Lizard Discovered in the Caribbean . Accessed 26 January 2009.
- Book: Poinar . George O. . species:George Orlo Poinar Jr.. Poinar . Roberta . species:Roberta Poinar . The Amber Forest: A Reconstruction of a Vanished World . 1999 . Princeton University Press . 978-0-691-05728-6 . en.
- www.reptile-database.org.
- [Gladwyn Kingsley Noble|Noble GK]
