Sphaerodactylus richardsonii GRAY, 1845
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Sphaerodactylus richardsonii
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| Higher Taxa | Sphaerodactylidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | Sphaerodactylus richardsonii gossei GRANT 1939 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii richardsonii GRAY 1845 |
| Common Names | E: Northern Jamaica Banded Geckolet, Richardson's Least Gecko |
| Synonym | Sphaerodactylus Richardsoni GRAY 1845:168 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii — BOULENGER 1885: 227 Sphaerodactylus richardsoni richardsoni — GRANT 1940: 78 Sphaerodactylus richardsoni — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 527 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii — KLUGE 1993 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii — RÖSLER 2000: 114 Sphaerodactylus richardsoni — WILSON 2011 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii gossei GRANT 1939 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii gossei GRANT 1939: 10 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii gossei — GRANT 1940: 76 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii gossei — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1988: 190 Sphaerodactylus richardsonii gossei — DE LISLE et al. 2013 |
| Distribution | Antilles, Jamaica richardsoni: known with certainty only from vicinity of Montego Bay. Type locality: "America"; restricted to Montego Bay, St. James Parish, Jamaica, by Grant, 1939. gossei: known with certainty only from north coastal region of Jamaica. Altitudinal distribution sea level to 260 ft. Type locality: Mouth of Roaring River, St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: BMNH 1946.8.26.51 Holotype: MCZ 45015 [gossei] |
| Diagnosis | DESCRIPTION: Size large (SVL in males to 40 mm, in females to 38 mm); dorsals keeled, imbricate, axilla to groin 15-18; ventrals smooth, cycloid, imbricate, axilla to groin 17-22; dorsal caudal scales keeled, erected, imbricate, acute, ventral caudal scales cycloid, imbricate, enlarged midventrally; snout scales swollen, keeled, juxtaposed; 2 postnasals; 1-2 internasals; midbody scales 29-34. Strongly sexually dichromatic; dorsal ground color (male) reddish brown; dorsum patternless or with scattered black scales; top of head and throat with a broken lineate pattern of vivid greenish sulfur (gossei) or patternless dark gray (richardsoni); limbs faintly ringed; tail alternately ringed yellow and gray (or dark gray and pale gray with yellow cast); throat pale gray between pattern; belly pale yellowish gray to reddish brown; female head. neck. and throat with dark-bordered white stripes; dorsum with 5-6 black-bordered white bands; dorsal markings indistinct or absent approaching venter; throat dark gray to reddish brown between black-bordered light lines; belly pale reddish brown; tail ringed black and white; limbs and digits mayor may not be conspicuously ringed in reddish brown, black, and white; juveniles marked as females, but more vividly (Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 527). Sexual dimorphism: The female is highly decorated including prominent body rings, whereas the male is devoid of decorations save for the yellowish-green tail. (Grant 1940) Description (gossei): “From Port Maria to Roaring River there is another form in which the female is a beautiful creature with yellow longitudinal head bands bordered by black; two similarly coloured collars and oblique bands under the throat. The body is ringed, the tail being ringed alternately black and white. The male is similarly bridled, but the tail is yellowish green.” (Grant 1940) |
| Comment | For illustrations see Grant, 1940. The main distinction between S. r. richardsoni and S. r. gossei is the presence of unicolor males in the nominate subspecies versus essentially female-colored males in S. r. gossei. |
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