Sphaerodactylus

<i>Sphaerodactylus</i>

Sphaerodactylus

Genus of lizards

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]

Quick Facts Sphaerodactylus, Scientific classification ...

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]

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Sphaerodactylus.

References

  1. [1]
    "Sphaerodactylus ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  2. [2]
    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.
  3. [3]
    Pennsylvania State University (2001). World's Smallest Lizard Discovered in the Caribbean Archived 2009-02-02 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 26 January 2009.
  4. [4]
    Poinar, George O.; Poinar, Roberta (1999). The Amber Forest: A Reconstruction of a Vanished World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-05728-6.
  5. [5]
    Genus Sphaerodactylus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
  6. [6]
    Noble GK, Klingel GC (1932). "The Reptiles of Great Inagua Island, British West Indies". American Museum Novitates (549): 1–25.

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).
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Sphaerodactylus, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.