Sphaerodactylus continentalis WERNER, 1896
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Sphaerodactylus continentalis
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| Higher Taxa | Sphaerodactylidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Upper Central American Geckolet |
| Synonym | Sphaerodactylus continentalis WERNER 1896 Sphaerodactylus continentalis — WILSON & HAHN 1973 Sphaerodactylus continentalis — MCCRANIE & HEDGES 2012 |
| Distribution | Honduras, S Mexico (from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in northern Oaxaca, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, to about the Catacamas, Olancho, region of east-central Honduras) Type locality: “Honduras”. |
| Reproduction | oviparous (manual and phylogenetic imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: ZISP = ZIN 8880 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Sphaerodactylus continentalis can be distinguished from S. millepunctatus (sensu stricto) in having smaller and more numerous dorsal scales (59–70, x = 63.5 ± 3.4 in 20 S. continentalis versus 42–57, x = 51.7 ± 5.0 in 15 S. millepunctatus examined for this study; but see Discussion and Appendix I). Sphaerodactylus continentalis differs from both S. guanajae and S. leonardovaldesi in lacking a short thin pale yellow line above each pelvis, in usually having distinct dorsal spots that are larger than one scale, and in usually having distinct dark stripes on the posterior end of the head and anterior portion of the body (versus short pale pelvic lines almost always present, only scattered dark spots on body that are confined to one scale, and indistinct dark stripes on head and body in those two species). Sphaerodactylus continentalis also differs from S. guanajae in having more subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (9–12, x = 10.0 ± 0.8 on 40 sides versus 8–9, x = 8.6 ± 0.5 on 12 sides in S. guanajae) and also differs from S. leonardovaldesi in having more scales around the midbody (64–80, x = 71.9 ± 4.8 in 20 S. continentalis versus 48–67, x = 59.8 ± 6.0 in 13 S. leonardovaldesi). Sphaerodactylus continentalis also differs from S. guanajae, S. millepunctatus, and S. leonardovaldesi in molecular data (Fig. 1). Sphaerodactylus glaucus Cope and S. dunni Schmidt can occur sympatrically with S. continentalis. The former has smooth dorsal scales (versus keeled in S. continentalis) and S. dunni has the superciliary spine located posterior to the level of the mideye, the third supralabial lying below the anterior half of the eye, and the medium subcaudal scales alternating (versus superciliary spine at mideye or anterior to that point, fourth supralabial below anterior half of eye, and median subcaudal scales aligned in a single row in S. continentalis). Sphaerodactylus rosaurae occurs sympatrically with S. continentalis on Isla de Utila, but S. continentalis is most easily distinguished from that species in having all dorsal body scales of a similar size (versus middorsal row of granular scales sharply and distinctly differentiated from much larger surrounding dorsal scales in S. rosaurae) [from MCCRANIE & HEDGES 2012]. |
| Comment | Synonymy: McCranie (2009), Townsend and Wilson (2010a), and Wilson and Johnson (2010) listed Honduran material of this species under the name S. millepunctatus, but this species has been revalidated from the synonymy of S. millepunctatus (by MCCRANIE & HEDGES 2012). |
| Etymology | The name continentalis is derived from the Latin continens (continent) and -alis (pertaining to). The name alludes to the mainland occurrence of the holotype. |
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