Shreve's least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus shrevei''), also known
commonly as the northwest Haiti blotched sphaero and the northwest Haitian blotched geckolet, is an
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Sphaerodactylidae. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''shrevei'', is in honor of American herpetologist
Benjamin Shreve
Benjamin Shreve (1908–1985) was an American amateur herpetologist. He was from a wealthy Boston family of jewellers (partners and managers of Shreve, Crump & Low) and worked at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology as a volunteer. He was tra ...
.
Habitat
The preferred natural
habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
s of ''S. shrevei'' are
forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
and rocky areas, at altitudes from sea level to .
Description
Dorsally, ''S. shrevei'' is ash gray, with a dorsal pattern that is blotched (rather than lineate). Ventrally, it is uniform white. Adult females may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . Adult males are smaller, attaining an SVL of .
[ Schwartz, Albert; Graham, Eugene D., Jr. (1980). "The ''shrevei'' group of Hispaniolan ''Sphaerodactylus'' (Reptilia, Gekkonidae)". ''Tulane Studies in Zoology and Botany'' 22 (1): 1-15. (''Sphaerodactylus shrevei'', pp. 3-4).]
Reproduction
''S. shrevei'' is
oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), and ...
.
[
]
References
Further reading
* Lazell JD (1961). "A New Species of ''Sphaerodactylus'' from Northern Haiti". ''Breviora'' (139): 1–5. (''Sphaerodactylus shrevei'', new species).
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)''". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Sphaerodactylus shrevei'', p. 114). (in German).
* Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History''. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. . (''Sphaerodactylus shrevei'', p. 535).
*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 shrevei'', p. 162).
Sphaerodactylus
Endemic fauna of Haiti
Reptiles of Haiti
Reptiles described in 1961
{{Sphaerodactylus-stub