Sphaerodactylus ariasae
| Sphaerodactylus ariasae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Gekkota |
| Family: | Sphaerodactylidae |
| Genus: | Sphaerodactylus |
| Species: | S. ariasae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sphaerodactylus ariasae | |
| |
| Distribution of Sphaerodactylus ariasae. Inferred range in red. | |
Sphaerodactylus ariasae, commonly called the Jaragua sphaero or the Jaragua dwarf gecko, is the smallest species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae.
Description
[edit | edit source]Sphaerodactylus ariasae is the world's smallest known reptile. The second-smallest is S. parthenopion, native to the British Virgin Islands. The Jaragua sphaero measures 14–18 mm (0.55–0.71 in)[3] from the snout to the base of the tail and can fit on a US 25-cent coin. It has an average weight of 0.13 g (0.0045 oz).[citation needed]
Geographic range
[edit | edit source]The geographic range of S. ariasae is believed to be limited to Jaragua National Park, in the southernmost tip of the Barahona Peninsula, in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic and nearby forested Beata Island on Hispaniola.[2]
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Habitat
[edit | edit source]The preferred natural habitat of S. ariasae is the leaf litter of the forest floor of dry forests with limestone substratum.[1]
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Habitat of S. ariasae in Beata island. Large trees grow on certain parts of the island, including sinkholes, which are surrounded by xeric scrub.
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Microhabitat of S. ariasae in Beata island, consisting of patches of leaf litter deposited over karstified limestone.
Reproduction
[edit | edit source]Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]S. ariasae was first described by Blair Hedges, a Pennsylvania State University evolutionary biologist, and Richard Thomas, a University of Puerto Rico biologist, in the December 2001 issue of the Caribbean Journal of Science.[5]
Etymology
[edit | edit source]The Jaragua sphaero's binomial name was chosen in honor of herpetologist Yvonne Arias,[4] the leader of the Dominican conservation organization Grupo Jaragua, which was instrumental in securing the environmental protection of Jaragua National Park.[6][7]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ a b Landestoy M, Inchaustegui S, Hedges B (2016). Sphaerodactylus ariasae (errata version published in 2017). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T75605318A115485387. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T75605318A75607639.en. Downloaded on 26 February 2019.
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). (Sphaerodactylus ariasae, new species).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b Sphaerodactylus ariasae at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 2015-02-21.
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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- ^ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).. (Sphaerodactylus ariasae, p. 11).
External links
[edit | edit source]- File:Wikispecies-logo.svg Data related to Sphaerodactylus ariasae at Wikispecies
- National Geographic: Smallest Known Lizard Found in Caribbean
- At the Lower Size Limit in Aminote Vertebrates: A New Diminutive Lizard from the West Indies
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