''Sphaerodactylus kirbyi'', commonly known as the Bequia dwarf gecko, the Bequia sphaero, or the Grenadines sphaero,
[ is a ]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 gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from .
Geckos ar ...
, a 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 Bequia, an island in the Grenadines
The Grenadines is a chain of small islands that lie on a line between the larger islands of Saint Vincent and Grenada in the Lesser Antilles. Nine are inhabited and open to the public (or ten, if the offshore island of Young Island is counted): ...
that is part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines () is an island country in the Caribbean. It is located in the southeast Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, which lie in the West Indies at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea wh ...
.
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 ...
, ''kirbyi'', is in honor of Dr. Ian Earle Ayrton Kirby (1921-2006), who was a government veterinarian and naturalist on St. Vincent.[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Sphaerodactylus kirbyi'', p. 142).]
Description
''S. kirbyi'' reaches a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . It is gray-brown, occasionally with a yellowish tint on its chin, throat, and the sides of its neck. The underside of its tail is mottled with orange. It has irregular small blotches on its body, and faded stripes on its head. A gray inverse V-shape extends from its hind limbs to the base of its tail.
References
Further reading
* Lazell J (1994). "A New ''Sphaerodactylus'' (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Bequia, Grenada Bank, Lesser Antilles". ''Breviora'' (496): 1-20. (''Sphaerodactylus kirbyi'', new species).
*.
External links
*
Sphaerodactylus kirbyi
' at the Encyclopedia of Life.
*
Sphaerodactylus kirbyi
' at the Reptile Database.
K
Lizards of the Caribbean
Endemic fauna of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Reptiles described in 1994
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