Sphaerodactylus


Sphaerodactylus is a genus of geckos from the Americas 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 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 – the smallest reptiles in the world.

Fossil record

Fossil remains referred to Sphaerodactylus have been recovered from Dominican amber.

Species

The following 108 species are recognized as being valid.
  • Sphaerodactylus alphus - Guanaja large-scaled geckolet
  • Sphaerodactylus altavelensis - Alto Velo least gecko, Alto Velo sphaero
  • Sphaerodactylus argivus - Cayman least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus argus - ocellated gecko, ocellated sphaero, stippled sphaero
  • Sphaerodactylus ariasae - Jaragua sphaero, Jaragua dwarf gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus armasi - Guantanamo least gecko, Guantanamo coastal gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus armstrongi - Armstrong's least gecko, southern forest geckolet
  • Sphaerodactylus asterulus - Haitian least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus beattyi - Saint Croix's sphaero, Beatty's least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus becki - Beck's least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus bromeliarum - El Yunque least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus caicosensis - 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 - peninsula least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus cochranae - 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 - 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 -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 - 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 - 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 - Desecheo gecko, Isla Desecheo least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus lineolatus - Panama least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus macrolepis - 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 - Tobago least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus monensis - Mona least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus nicholsi - 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 - Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero, Virgin Gorda least gecko, Virgin Islands dwarf gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus parvus - Anguilla Bank geckolet
  • Sphaerodactylus perissodactylius - Dominican least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus phyzacinus - Les Saintes geckolet
  • Sphaerodactylus pimienta - 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 - Richardson's least gecko, northern Jamaica banded sphaero
  • Sphaerodactylus roosevelti - Roosevelt's beige sphaero, Roosevelt's least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus rosaurae - Bay Island least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus ruibali - Ruibal's least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus sabanus - Saba least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus samanensis - Samana least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus savagei - 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 - Cockpit eyespot sphaero, Cockpit least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus shrevei - 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 - island least gecko
  • Sphaerodactylus storeyae - 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 - 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: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Sphaerodactylus.