''Sphaerodactylus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 ...

s from the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

that are distinguished from other

Gekkota 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 ...

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 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 ...

in this genus are rather small, but two species, '' S. ariasae'' and '' S. parthenopion'', are tiny, and – with a snout-vent length of about – the smallest

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s in the world.

Fossil record

Fossil remains referred to ''Sphaerodactylus'' have been recovered from

Dominican amber Dominican amber is amber from the Dominican Republic derived from resin of the extinct tree ''Hymenaea protera''. Dominican amber differentiates itself from Baltic amber by being nearly always transparent, and it has a higher number of fossil incl ...

Species

The following 108 species are recognized as being valid. *'' Sphaerodactylus alphus'' - Guanaja large-scaled geckolet *''

Sphaerodactylus altavelensis ''Sphaerodactylus altavelensis'', also known as the Alto Velo least gecko or Alto Velo sphaero, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: His ...

'' - Alto Velo least gecko, Alto Velo sphaero *''

Sphaerodactylus argivus The Cayman least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus argivus'') is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. It is endemic to Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the larges ...

'' - Cayman least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus argus ''Sphaerodactylus argus'', also known commonly as the ocellated gecko, the ocellated sphaero, and the stippled sphaero, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is indigenous to the Caribbean. There are two recognized ...

'' - ocellated gecko, ocellated sphaero, stippled sphaero *''

Sphaerodactylus ariasae ''Sphaerodactylus ariasae'', commonly called the Jaragua sphaero or the Jaragua dwarf gecko, is the smallest species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. Description ''Sphaerodactylus ariasae'' is the world's smallest known reptile. The s ...

'' - Jaragua sphaero, Jaragua dwarf gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus armasi ''Sphaerodactylus armasi'', also known commonly as the Guantanamo coastal gecko or the Guantanamo least gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae . The species is endemic to Cuba. Etymology The specific name, ''armasi'', is ...

'' - Guantanamo least gecko, Guantanamo coastal gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus armstrongi'' - Armstrong's least gecko, southern forest geckolet *'' Sphaerodactylus asterulus'' - Haitian least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus beattyi ''Sphaerodactylus beattyi'', also known commonly as the Saint Croix's sphaero, Beatty's least gecko, and the cotton ginner gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Saint Croix in the United States ...

'' - Saint Croix's sphaero, Beatty's least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus becki'' - Beck's least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus bromeliarum'' - El Yunque least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus caicosensis ''Sphaerodactylus caicosensis'', also known as the Caicos banded sphaero or Caicos least gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae . It is endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geogr ...

'' - 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 The peninsula least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus clenchi'') is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Dominican Republic. Etymology The specific name, ''clenchi'', is in honor of American malacologist Wi ...

'' - peninsula least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus cochranae Cochran's least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus cochranae'') is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Dominican Republic. Etymology The specific name, C''ochranae'', is in honor of American herpetologist Dor ...

'' - 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 The Marche Leon least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus elasmorhynchus''), also known commonly as the snout-shield sphaero, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Haiti. Geographic range ''S. elasmorhynchus'' is ...

'' - 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 ''Sphaerodactylus gaigeae'', also known commonly as the chevronated sphaero or Gaige's least gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae . The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific name, ''gaigeae'', is in ...

'' -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'' Noble GK, Klingel GC (1932). "The Reptiles of Great Inagua Island, British West Indies". ''American Museum Novitates'' (549): 1–25

/ref> - 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 ''Sphaerodactylus klauberi'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae The species is endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico. Common names Common names for ''S. klauberi'' include Klauber's dwarf gecko, Klauber's least ...

'' - 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 ''Sphaerodactylus levinsi'', also known commonly as the Desecheo gecko or the Isla Desecheo least gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae . The species is endemic to Desecheo Island in Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific n ...

'' - Desecheo gecko, Isla Desecheo least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus lineolatus'' - Panama least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus macrolepis ''Sphaerodactylus macrolepis'', also known as the big-scaled dwarf gecko or the big-scaled least gecko, is a lizard of the ''Sphaerodactylus'' genus. It was first documented in 1859 in the US Virgin Islands, specifically, St. Croix. This diurnal sp ...

'' - 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 The Tobago least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus molei'') is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Caribbean and northern South America. Etymology The specific name, ''molei'' is in honor of British natural ...

'' - Tobago least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus monensis'' - Mona least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus nicholsi ''Sphaerodactylus nicholsi'', also known commonly as Nichols least gecko, Nichol's dwarf sphaero or the Puerto Rican crescent sphaero, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae . The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The ...

'' - 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 The Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero, Virgin Gorda least gecko, or Virgin Islands dwarf gecko (''Sphaerodactylus parthenopion'') is a species of gecko and also one of the smallest terrestrial vertebrates. It has only been found on three of the Brit ...

'' - Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero, Virgin Gorda least gecko, Virgin Islands dwarf gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus parvus'' - Anguilla Bank geckolet *''

Sphaerodactylus perissodactylius The Dominican least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus perissodactylius'') is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. It is endemic to the Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country locat ...

'' - Dominican least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus phyzacinus'' - Les Saintes geckolet *''

Sphaerodactylus pimienta ''Sphaerodactylus pimienta'', also known as the pepper sphaero, Cuban pepper sphaero, or Cuban pepper geckolet, is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Cuba. It is a relatively large ''Sphaerodactylus'' measuring in snout–vent length Snout� ...

'' - 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 ''Sphaerodactylus richardsonii'', also known Common name, commonly as Richardson's least gecko or the northern Jamaica banded sphaero, is a small species of lizard in the Family (biology), family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is Endemism, endemi ...

'' - Richardson's least gecko, northern Jamaica banded sphaero *''

Sphaerodactylus roosevelti ''Sphaerodactylus roosevelti'', also known commonly as Roosevelt's beige sphaero or Roosevelt's least gecko, is a small species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific name, ''ro ...

'' - Roosevelt's beige sphaero, Roosevelt's least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus rosaurae'' - Bay Island least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus ruibali'' - Ruibal's least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus sabanus The Saba least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus sabanus'') is a gecko endemic to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean, where it can be found on Saba, Sint Eustatius, Saint Kitts, and Nevis. Both sexes reach a maximum length of about 30 mm snout-to-v ...

'' - Saba least gecko *'' Sphaerodactylus samanensis'' - Samana least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus savagei ''Sphaerodactylus savagei'', also known commonly as the Altagracia speckled sphaero or Savage's least gecko, is a small species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the Dominican Republic. Etymology The specifi ...

'' - 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 ''Sphaerodactylus semasiops'', also known as the Cockpit eyespot sphaero or Cockpit least gecko, is a small species of gecko endemic to Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the ...

'' - Cockpit eyespot sphaero, Cockpit least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus shrevei Shreve's least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus shrevei''), also known commonly as the northwest Haiti blotched sphaero and the northwest Haitian blotched geckolet, is an endangered species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endem ...

'' - 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 The island least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus sputator'') is a species of gecko endemic to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean. Geographic range ''S. sputator'' can be found on Anguilla (and some of its satellites), Saint Martin, Saint Barthéle ...

'' - island least gecko *''

Sphaerodactylus storeyae ''Sphaerodactylus storeyae'', also known commonly as the Isle of Pines sphaero or the Los Canarreos geckolet, is a small species of gecko, a lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Isla de la Juventud in Cuba. Etymolog ...

'' - 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 ''Sphaerodactylus townsendi'', known commonly as the Townsend's dwarf sphaero or Townsend's least gecko, is a small species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Etymology The specific name, ''townse ...

'' - 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 (, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well". It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...

'': A

binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Sphaerodactylus''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1631828 Lizard genera Lizards of North America Lizards of South America Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler

Fossil record

Species

References

Further reading

External links