Sphaerodactylus is a genus of geckos from the Americas[2] 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 1.6 cm (0.63 in) – the smallest reptiles in the world.[3]
Fossil record
Fossil remains referred to Sphaerodactylus have been recovered from Dominican amber.[4]
Species
The following 108 species are recognized as being valid.[5]
- Sphaerodactylus alphus McCranie & Hedges, 2013 – Guanaja large-scaled geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus altavelensis Noble, 1933 – Alto Velo least gecko, Alto Velo sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus argivus Garman, 1888 – Cayman least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus argus Gosse, 1850 – ocellated gecko, ocellated sphaero, stippled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus ariasae Hedges & Thomas, 2001 – Jaragua sphaero, Jaragua dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus armasi Schwartz & Garrido, 1974 – Guantanamo least gecko, Guantanamo coastal gecko
- Sphaerodactylus armstrongi Noble, 1933 – Armstrong’s least gecko, southern forest geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus asterulus Schwartz & Graham, 1980 – Haitian least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus beattyi Grant, 1937 – Saint Croix’s sphaero, Beatty’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus becki Schmidt, 1919 – Beck’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus bromeliarum G. Peters & Schwartz, 1977 – El Yunque least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus caicosensis Cochran, 1934 – Caicos banded sphaero, Caicos least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus callocricus Schwartz, 1976 – rough-banded sphaero, callous least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus celicara Garrido & Schwartz, 1982 – Baracoan eyespot sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus cinereus Wagler, 1830 – gray gecko
- Sphaerodactylus clenchi Shreve, 1968 – peninsula least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus cochranae Ruibal, 1946 – Cochran’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus continentalis F. Werner, 1896 – upper Central American geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus copei Steindachner, 1867 – Cope’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus corticola Garman, 1888 – central Bahamas sphaero, Rum Cay least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus cricoderus Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1992 – Turquino collared sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus cryphius Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 – Bakoruco least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus dacnicolor Barbour, 1910 – Jamaican tailspot sphaero, eastern Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni Shreve, 1968 – Darlington’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus difficilis Barbour, 1914 – Hispaniolan eyespot sphaero, difficult least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus dimorphicus Fong & Díaz, 2004 – Santiago de Cuba geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus docimus Schwartz & Garrido, 1985 – Cabo Cruz banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus dunni Schmidt, 1936 – Dunn’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus elasmorhynchus Thomas, 1966 – Marche Leon least gecko, snout-shield sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus elegans Macleay, 1834 – ashy gecko
- Sphaerodactylus elegantulus Barbour, 1917 – Antigua least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus epiurus Thomas & Hedges, 1993 – Hispaniolan tailspot sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus exsul Barbour, 1914 – Swan Islands geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus fantasticus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1836 – fantastic least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus gaigeae Grant, 1932 -chevronated sphaero, Gaige’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus gilvitorques Cope, 1862 – Jamaican collared sphaero, Jamaican least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus glaucus Cope, 1866 – collared dwarf gecko, least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus goniorhynchus Cope, 1895 – Jamaican forest sphaero, Cakoarita least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus grandisquamis Stejneger, 1904 – big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
- Sphaerodactylus graptolaemus Harris & Kluge, 1984 – Costa Rica least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus guanajae McCranie & Hedges, 2012 – Guanaja head-spotted geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus heliconiae Harris, 1982
- Sphaerodactylus homolepis Cope, 1886 – Caribbean least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus inaguae Noble, 1932[6] – Inagua sphaero, Inagua least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus inigoi Thomas & Schwartz, 1966 – Isla Vieques dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus intermedius Barbour & Ramsden, 1919 – Mantanzas least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus kirbyi Lazell, 1994 – Bequia dwarf gecko, Bequia sphaero, Grenadines sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus klauberi Grant, 1931 – Klauber’s dwarf gecko, Klauber’s least gecko, Puerto Rican highland sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus ladae Thomas & Hedges, 1988 – Martin Garcia least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus lazelli Shreve, 1968 – Cap-Haitien least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus leonardovaldesi McCranie & Hedges, 2012
- Sphaerodactylus leucaster Schwartz, 1973 – eastern least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus levinsi Heatwole, 1968 – Desecheo gecko, Isla Desecheo least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus lineolatus Lichtenstein & von Martens, 1856 – Panama least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus macrolepis Günther, 1859 – big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
- Sphaerodactylus mariguanae Cochran, 1934 – southern Bahamas sphaero, Mayaguana least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus microlepis J.T. Reinhardt & Lütken, 1862 – little-scaled least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus micropithecus Schwartz, 1977 – Monito gecko
- Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell, 1861 – spotted least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus molei Boettger, 1894 – Tobago least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus monensis Meerwarth, 1901 – Mona least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus nicholsi Grant, 1931 – Nichols least gecko, Nichol’s dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican crescent sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus Gray, 1845 – black-spotted least gecko, three-banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus notatus Baird, 1859 – reef gecko, brown-speckled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus nycteropus Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 – Morne Dubois least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus ocoae Schwartz, 1977 – Peravia least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus oliveri Grant, 1944 – Juventud least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus omoglaux Thomas, 1982 – Fond Parisien least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus oxyrhinus Gosse, 1850 – Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus pacificus Stejneger, 1903 – Pacific least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus parkeri (Grant, 1939) – Parker’s least gecko, southern Jamaica banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus parthenopion Thomas, 1965 – Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero, Virgin Gorda least gecko, Virgin Islands dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus parvus King, 1962 – Anguilla Bank geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus perissodactylius Thomas & Hedges, 1988 – Dominican least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus phyzacinus Thomas, 1964 – Les Saintes geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus pimienta Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1998 – pepper sphaero, Cuban pepper sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus plummeri Thomas & Hedges, 1992 – Barahona big-scaled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus poindexteri McCranie & Hedges, 2013 – Utila small-scaled geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus ramsdeni Ruibal, 1959 – Ramsden’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus randi Shreve, 1968 – Pedernales least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus rhabdotus Schwartz, 1970 – two-striped sphaero, Vallede Neiba least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus richardi Hedges & Garrido, 1993 – Richard’s banded sphaero, Zapata big-scaled sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus richardsonii Gray, 1845 – Richardson’s least gecko, northern Jamaica banded sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus roosevelti Grant, 1931 – Roosevelt’s beige sphaero, Roosevelt’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus rosaurae Parker, 1940 – Bay Island least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus ruibali Grant, 1959 – Ruibal’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus sabanus Cochran, 1938 – Saba least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus samanensis Cochran, 1932 – Samana least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus savagei Shreve, 1968 – Altagracia speckled sphaero, Savage’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus scaber Barbour & Ramsden, 1919 – double-collared sphaero, Camaguey least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus scapularis Boulenger, 1902 – Boulenger’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus schuberti Thomas & Hedges, 1998 – Neiba agave geckolet, Neiba agave sphaero, Schubert’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus schwartzi Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1992 – Guantanamo collared sphaero, Monitongas collared geckolet, Schwartz’s dwarf gecko
- Sphaerodactylus semasiops Thomas, 1975 – Cockpit eyespot sphaero, Cockpit least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus shrevei Lazell, 1961 – Shreve’s least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus siboney Fong & Diaz, 2004 – Siboney gray-headed geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus sommeri Graham, 1981 – TerreNueve least gecko, Terre-Neuve least gecko, northwest Haitian banded geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus sputator (Sparrman, 1784) – island least gecko
- Sphaerodactylus storeyae Grant, 1944 – Isle of Pines sphaero, Los Canarreos sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus streptophorus Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 – Hispaniola least gecko, Hispaniolan small-eared sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus thompsoni Schwartz & Franz, 1976 – Thompson’s least gecko, Barahona limestone sphaero
- Sphaerodactylus torrei Barbour, 1914 – Barbour’s least gecko, Cuban broad-banded geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus townsendi Grant, 1931 – Townsend’s least gecko, Townsend’s dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican sandy geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus underwoodi Schwartz, 1968 – Underwood’s least gecko, Turks Islands geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus verdeluzicola Díaz-Lameiro, Villamil, Gamble, Pinto, Herrera-Martínez, Thomas, Bernstein, Titus-McQuillan, Nielsen, Agosto-Torres, Puente-Rolón, Bird-Picó, Oleksyk, Martínez-Cruzado & Daza, 2022 – Puerto Rican karst gecko
- Sphaerodactylus vincenti Boulenger, 1891 – Vincent’s least gecko, Central Lesser Antillean sphaero, Windward geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus williamsi Thomas & Schwartz, 1983 – Williams’s least gecko, Haitian striped geckolet
- Sphaerodactylus zygaena Schwartz, 1977 – 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.
References
- ^ “Sphaerodactylus “. ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ^ Gamble T, Bauer AM, Colli GR, Greenbaum E, Jackman TR, Vitt LJ, Simons AM (2011). “Coming to America: Multiple Origins of New World Geckos”. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24: 231–244.
- ^ Pennsylvania State University (2001). World’s Smallest Lizard Discovered in the Caribbean Archived 2009-02-02 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 26 January 2009.
- ^ Poinar, George O.; Poinar, Roberta (1999). The Amber Forest: A Reconstruction of a Vanished World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-05728-6.
- ^ Genus Sphaerodactylus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Noble GK, Klingel GC (1932). “The Reptiles of Great Inagua Island, British West Indies”. American Museum Novitates (549): 1–25. [1] [2]
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).
External links
Media related to Sphaerodactylus at Wikimedia Commons
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