Sphaerodactylus elegans (MACLEAY, 1834)
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Sphaerodactylus elegans
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| Higher Taxa | Sphaerodactylidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | Sphaerodactylus elegans elegans MACLEAY 1834 Sphaerodactylus elegans punctatissimus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1836 |
| Common Names | E: Ashy Geckolet, Ashy gecko, Ashy Sphaero |
| Synonym | Sphariodactylus [sic] elegans MACLEAY 1834:12 Sphaerodactylus elegans — BOULENGER 1885: 220 Sphaerodactylus elegans — BARBOUR & RAMSDEN 1919 Sphaerodactylus elegans elegans — CONANT & COLLINS 1991: 86 Sphaerodactylus elegans — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 490 Sphaerodactylus elegans — KLUGE 1993 Sphaerodactylus elegans — RÖSLER 1995: 172 Sphaerodactylus elegans — HEDGES 2010 Sphaerodactylus elegans punctatissimus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1836 Sphaeriodactylus [sic] punctatissimus DUMÉRIL & BIBRON 1836: 405 Sphaerodactylus alopex COPE 1862: 499 Sphaerodactylus punctatissimus — BOULENGER 1885: 220 Sphaerodactylus alopex — BOULENGER 1885: 222 Sphaerodactylus elegans punctatissimus — SCHWARTZ & GARRIDO 1985: 53 Sphaerodactylus elegans punctatissimus — DE LISLE et al. 2013 |
| Distribution | W/C Cuba, Isla de la Juventud; Hispaniola, Haiti USA (introduced to Florida, Key West Islands) elegans: Cuba, Isla de la Juventud; associated cayertas; introduced on Florida Keys; Type locality: Cuba; probably the vicinity of Guanabacoa, La Habana Province, Cuba, according to Barbour, 1921. punctatissimus: Hispaniola; Île Grande Cayemite; Île de la Gonâve. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: Unlocated. Syntypes: MNHN-RA 1768, MNHN-RA 1768A-B [punctatissimus] Syntype: USNM 52407 [Sphaerodactylus alopex] |
| Diagnosis | DESCRIPTION: Size moderate (SVL in males to 39 mm, in females to 37 mm); dorsals small, slightly swollen, slightly keeled, weakly imbricate, axilla to groin 41-59; no area of middorsal granules or granular scales; ventrals smooth, cycloid, imbricate, axilla to groin 24-45; dorsal caudal scales smooth, cycloid, imbricate, ventral caudal scales smooth, cycloid, imbricate, enlarged midventrally; snout acuminate, not depressed or decurved; snout scales granular, enlarged, flattened; 1 postnasal; 0-2 (strongly modally 1) internasals; upper labials to mideye 3-5 (strongly modally 4); gular scales smooth; chest scales smooth; midbody scales 49-84; escutcheon 4-8 x 19-37. Adults not strongly sexually dichromatic, but strong ontogenetic pattern change; juveniles (SVL 20-28 mm and below, by subspecies) yellowish to reddish dorsally with prominent reddish tail and limbs; body and tail transversely banded with dark brown to almost black, this boldly contrasting pattern gradually changing to (adults) dark brown, pale tan, yellowish tan dorsum, either speckled with many isolated pale whitish to very pale tan scales or not, isolated pale scales at times confluent on body to give vague, fine, longi- tudinal striate effect; head in both sexes either concolor with dorsum, dotted with minute, pale flecks, or (full adults) strongly streaked or vermiculate with pale tan and dark brown: throat (males) finely stippled or coarsely vermiculate with brown (by population); iris golden to golden yellow (from Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 491). |
| Comment | Synonymy: S. punctatissimus has been downgraded to S. e. punctatissimus by Schwartz & Garrido (1985). Grant (1948) demonstrated conclusively that elegans and cinereus are actually ontogenetic forms of the same species. However, Mittleman 1950 concluded that they are taxonomically distinct. |
| Etymology | The name elegans (Latin) means tasteful, choice, fine, select or elegant and appears to refer to the color pattern or body shape. |
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