Sphaerodactylus richardi


Sphaerodactylus richardi, also known commonly as Richard's banded sphaero or the Zapata big-scaled sphaero, is a small species of gecko, a lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cuba.

Etymology

The specific name, richardi, is in honor of American herpetologist Richard Thomas.

Taxonomy

Sphaerodactylus richardi belongs to the scaber group. Other species in the group are S. oliveri, S. scaber, and S. storeyae.

Description

Sphaerodactylus richardi may attain a snout-to-vent length of. It has large non-overlapping dorsal scales, except for a zone of mid-dorsal granular scales which is three scales wide. Adults have a dorsal color pattern of 5-6 bold dark crossbands on the body.

Habitat

The preferred habitats of S. richardi are forest, shrubland, and marine intertidal.

Reproduction

Sphaerodactylus richardi is oviparous.