Sphaerodactylus

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Lepidosauromorpha
Superordo: Lepidosauria
Ordo: Squamata
Subordo: Gekkota
Infraordo: Gekkomorpha
Superfamilia: Gekkonoidea

Familia: Sphaerodactylidae
Genus: Sphaerodactylus
Species (103): S. altavelensis – S. argivus – S. argus – S. ariasae – S. armasi – S. armstrongi – S. asterulus – S. beattyi – S. becki – S. bromeliarum – S. caicosensis – S. callocricus – S. celicara – S. cinereus – S. clenchi – S. cochranae – S. continentalis – S. copei – S. corticola – S. cricoderus – S. cryphius – S. dacnicolor – S. darlingtoni – S. difficilis – S. dimorphicus – S. docimus – S. dunni – S. elasmorhynchus – S. elegans – S. elegantulus – S. epiurus – S. exsul – S. fantasticus – S. gaigeae – S. gilvitorques – S. glaucus – S. goniorhynchus – S. graptolaemus – S. guanajae – S. heliconiae – S. homolepis – S. inaguae – S. intermedius – S. kirbyi – S. klauberi – S. ladae – S. lazelli – S. leonardovaldesi – S. leucaster – S. levinsi – S. lineolatus – S. macrolepis – S. mariguanae – S. microlepis – S. micropithecus – S. millepunctatus – S. molei – S. monensis – S. nicholsi – S. nigropunctatus – S. notatus – S. nycteropus – S. ocoae – S. oliveri – S. omoglaux – S. oxyrhinus – S. pacificus – S. parkeri – S. parthenopion – S. parvus – S. perissodactylius – S. phyzacinus – S. pimienta – S. plummeri – S. ramsdeni – S. randi – S. rhabdotus – S. richardi – S. richardsonii – S. roosevelti – S. rosaurae – S. ruibali – S. sabanus – S. samanensis – S. savagei – S. scaber – S. scapularis – S. schuberti – S. schwartzi – S. semasiops – S. shrevei – S. siboney – S. sommeri – S. sputator – S. storeyae – S. streptophorus – S. thompsoni – S. torrei – S. townsendi – S. underwoodi – S. vincenti – S. williamsi – S. zygaena
Name

Sphaerodactylus Wagler, 1830

Type species: Lacerta sputator Sparrman

References
Primary references

Wagler, J.G. 1830. Natürliches System der Amphibien, mit vorangehender Classification der Säugetiere und Vögel. Ein Beitrag zur vergleichenden Zoologie.. J.G. Cotta'schen Buchhandlung: München, Stuttgart, & Tübingen. 354 pp. BHL Reference page.

Additional references

Harris, D.M. & Kluge, A.G. 1984. The Sphaerodactylus (Sauria: Gekkonidae) of Middle America. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology University of Michigan 706, 1–59.
McCranie, J.R. & Hedges, S.B. 2012. Two new species of geckos from Honduras and resurrection of Sphaerodactylus continentalis Werner from the synonymy of Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell (Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonoidea, Sphaerodactylidae). Zootaxa 3492: 65–76. Preview Reference page.
Mccranie, J.R. & Hedges, S.B. 2013. Two additional new species of Sphaerodactylus (Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonoidea, Sphaerodactylidae) from the Honduran Bay Islands. Zootaxa 3694(1): 40–50. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3694.1.2 Reference page.

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]

Fossil record

Fossil remains referred to Sphaerodactylus have been recovered from Dominican amber.[4]
Species

The following 107 species are recognized as being valid.[5]

Sphaerodactylus alphus McCranie & Hedges, 2013 - Guanaja large-scaled geckolet
Sphaerodactylus altavelensis Noble, 1933 - Alto Velo least gecko, Alto Velo sphaero
Sphaerodactylus argivus Garman, 1888 - Cayman least gecko
Sphaerodactylus argus Gosse, 1850 - ocellated gecko, ocellated sphaero, stippled sphaero
Sphaerodactylus ariasae Hedges & Thomas, 2001 - Jaragua sphaero, Jaragua dwarf gecko
Sphaerodactylus armasi Schwartz & Garrido, 1974 - Guantanamo least gecko, Guantanamo coastal gecko
Sphaerodactylus armstrongi Noble, 1933 - Armstrong's least gecko, southern forest geckolet
Sphaerodactylus asterulus Schwartz & Graham, 1980 - Haitian least gecko
Sphaerodactylus beattyi Grant, 1937 - Saint Croix's sphaero, Beatty's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus becki Schmidt, 1919 - Beck's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus bromeliarum G. Peters & Schwartz, 1977 - El Yunque least gecko
Sphaerodactylus caicosensis Cochran, 1934 - Caicos banded sphaero, Caicos least gecko
Sphaerodactylus callocricus Schwartz, 1976 - rough-banded sphaero, callous least gecko
Sphaerodactylus celicara Garrido & Schwartz, 1982 - Baracoan eyespot sphaero
Sphaerodactylus cinereus Wagler, 1830 - gray gecko
Sphaerodactylus clenchi Shreve, 1968 - peninsula least gecko
Sphaerodactylus cochranae Ruibal, 1946 - Cochran's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus continentalis F. Werner, 1896 - upper Central American geckolet
Sphaerodactylus copei Steindachner, 1867 - Cope's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus corticola Garman, 1888 - central Bahamas sphaero, Rum Cay least gecko
Sphaerodactylus cricoderus Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1992 - Turquino collared sphaero
Sphaerodactylus cryphius Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 - Bakoruco least gecko
Sphaerodactylus dacnicolor Barbour, 1910 - Jamaican tailspot sphaero, eastern Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni Shreve, 1968 - Darlington's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus difficilis Barbour, 1914 - Hispaniolan eyespot sphaero, difficult least gecko
Sphaerodactylus dimorphicus Fong & Díaz, 2004 - Santiago de Cuba geckolet
Sphaerodactylus docimus Schwartz & Garrido, 1985 - Cabo Cruz banded sphaero
Sphaerodactylus dunni Schmidt, 1936 - Dunn's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus elasmorhynchus Thomas, 1966 - Marche Leon least gecko, snout-shield sphaero
Sphaerodactylus elegans Macleay, 1834 - ashy gecko
Sphaerodactylus elegantulus Barbour, 1917 - Antigua least gecko
Sphaerodactylus epiurus Thomas & Hedges, 1993 - Hispaniolan tailspot sphaero
Sphaerodactylus exsul Barbour, 1914 - Swan Islands geckolet
Sphaerodactylus fantasticus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1836 - fantastic least gecko
Sphaerodactylus gaigeae Grant, 1932 -chevronated sphaero, Gaige's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus gilvitorques Cope, 1862 - Jamaican collared sphaero, Jamaican least gecko
Sphaerodactylus glaucus Cope, 1866 - collared dwarf gecko, least gecko
Sphaerodactylus goniorhynchus Cope, 1895 - Jamaican forest sphaero, Cakoarita least gecko
Sphaerodactylus grandisquamis Stejneger, 1904 - big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
Sphaerodactylus graptolaemus Harris & Kluge, 1984 - Costa Rica least gecko
Sphaerodactylus guanajae McCranie & Hedges, 2012 - Guanaja head-spotted geckolet
Sphaerodactylus heliconiae Harris, 1982
Sphaerodactylus homolepis Cope, 1886 - Caribbean least gecko
Sphaerodactylus inaguae Noble, 1932[6] - Inagua sphaero, Inagua least gecko
Sphaerodactylus inigoi Thomas & Schwartz, 1966 - Isla Vieques dwarf gecko
Sphaerodactylus intermedius Barbour & Ramsden, 1919 - Mantanzas least gecko
Sphaerodactylus kirbyi Lazell, 1994 - Bequia dwarf gecko, Bequia sphaero, Grenadines sphaero
Sphaerodactylus klauberi Grant, 1931 - Klauber's dwarf gecko, Klauber's least gecko, Puerto Rican highland sphaero
Sphaerodactylus ladae Thomas & Hedges, 1988 - Martin Garcia least gecko
Sphaerodactylus lazelli Shreve, 1968 - Cap-Haitien least gecko
Sphaerodactylus leonardovaldesi McCranie & Hedges, 2012
Sphaerodactylus leucaster Schwartz, 1973 - eastern least gecko
Sphaerodactylus levinsi Heatwole, 1968 - Desecheo gecko, Isla Desecheo least gecko
Sphaerodactylus lineolatus Lichtenstein & von Martens, 1856 - Panama least gecko
Sphaerodactylus macrolepis Günther, 1859 - big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
Sphaerodactylus mariguanae Cochran, 1934 - southern Bahamas sphaero, Mayaguana least gecko
Sphaerodactylus microlepis J.T. Reinhardt & Lütken, 1862 - little-scaled least gecko
Sphaerodactylus micropithecus Schwartz, 1977 - Monito gecko
Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell, 1861 - spotted least gecko
Sphaerodactylus molei Boettger, 1894 - Tobago least gecko
Sphaerodactylus monensis Meerwarth, 1901 - Mona least gecko
Sphaerodactylus nicholsi Grant, 1931 - Nichols least gecko, Nichol's dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican crescent sphaero
Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus Gray, 1845 - black-spotted least gecko, three-banded sphaero
Sphaerodactylus notatus Baird, 1859 - reef gecko, brown-speckled sphaero
Sphaerodactylus nycteropus Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 - Morne Dubois least gecko
Sphaerodactylus ocoae Schwartz, 1977 - Peravia least gecko
Sphaerodactylus oliveri Grant, 1944 - Juventud least gecko
Sphaerodactylus omoglaux Thomas, 1982 - Fond Parisien least gecko
Sphaerodactylus oxyrhinus Gosse, 1850 - Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
Sphaerodactylus pacificus Stejneger, 1903 - Pacific least gecko
Sphaerodactylus parkeri (Grant, 1939) - Parker's least gecko, southern Jamaica banded sphaero
Sphaerodactylus parthenopion Thomas, 1965 - Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero, Virgin Gorda least gecko, Virgin Islands dwarf gecko
Sphaerodactylus parvus King, 1962 - Anguilla Bank geckolet
Sphaerodactylus perissodactylius Thomas & Hedges, 1988 - Dominican least gecko
Sphaerodactylus phyzacinus Thomas, 1964 - Les Saintes geckolet
Sphaerodactylus pimienta Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1998 - pepper sphaero, Cuban pepper sphaero
Sphaerodactylus plummeri Thomas & Hedges, 1992 - Barahona big-scaled sphaero
Sphaerodactylus poindexteri McCranie & Hedges, 2013 - Utila small-scaled geckolet
Sphaerodactylus ramsdeni Ruibal, 1959 - Ramsden's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus randi Shreve, 1968 - Pedernales least gecko
Sphaerodactylus rhabdotus Schwartz, 1970 - two-striped sphaero, Vallede Neiba least gecko
Sphaerodactylus richardi Hedges & Garrido, 1993 - Richard's banded sphaero, Zapata big-scaled sphaero
Sphaerodactylus richardsonii Gray, 1845 - Richardson's least gecko, northern Jamaica banded sphaero
Sphaerodactylus roosevelti Grant, 1931 - Roosevelt's beige sphaero, Roosevelt's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus rosaurae Parker, 1940 - Bay Island least gecko
Sphaerodactylus ruibali Grant, 1959 - Ruibal's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus sabanus Cochran, 1938 - Saba least gecko
Sphaerodactylus samanensis Cochran, 1932 - Samana least gecko
Sphaerodactylus savagei Shreve, 1968 - Altagracia speckled sphaero, Savage's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus scaber Barbour & Ramsden, 1919 - double-collared sphaero, Camaguey least gecko
Sphaerodactylus scapularis Boulenger, 1902 - Boulenger's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus schuberti Thomas & Hedges, 1998 - Neiba agave geckolet, Neiba agave sphaero, Schubert's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus schwartzi Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1992 - Guantanamo collared sphaero, Monitongas collared geckolet, Schwartz's dwarf gecko
Sphaerodactylus semasiops Thomas, 1975 - Cockpit eyespot sphaero, Cockpit least gecko
Sphaerodactylus shrevei Lazell, 1961 - Shreve's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus siboney Fong & Diaz, 2004 - Siboney gray-headed geckolet
Sphaerodactylus sommeri Graham, 1981 - TerreNueve least gecko, Terre-Neuve least gecko, northwest Haitian banded geckolet
Sphaerodactylus sputator (Sparrman, 1784) - island least gecko
Sphaerodactylus storeyae Grant, 1944 - Isle of Pines sphaero, Los Canarreos sphaero
Sphaerodactylus streptophorus Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 - Hispaniola least gecko, Hispaniolan small-eared sphaero
Sphaerodactylus thompsoni Schwartz & Franz, 1976 - Thompson's least gecko, Barahona limestone sphaero
Sphaerodactylus torrei Barbour, 1914 - Barbour's least gecko, Cuban broad-banded geckolet
Sphaerodactylus townsendi Grant, 1931 - Townsend's least gecko, Townsend's dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican sandy geckolet
Sphaerodactylus underwoodi Schwartz, 1968 - Underwood's least gecko, Turks Islands geckolet
Sphaerodactylus vincenti Boulenger, 1891 - Vincent's least gecko, Central Lesser Antillean sphaero, Windward geckolet
Sphaerodactylus williamsi Thomas & Schwartz, 1983 - Williams's least gecko, Haitian striped geckolet
Sphaerodactylus zygaena Schwartz, 1977 - 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.
References

"Sphaerodactylus ". ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
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.
Pennsylvania State University (2001). World's Smallest Lizard Discovered in the Caribbean Archived 2009-02-02 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 26 January 2009.
Poinar, George O.; Poinar, Roberta (1999). The Amber Forest: A Reconstruction of a Vanished World. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-05728-6.
Genus Sphaerodactylus at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

Noble GK, Klingel GC (1932). "The Reptiles of Great Inagua Island, British West Indies". American Museum Novitates (549): 1–25. [1] [2]