Sphaerodactylus townsendi GRANT, 1931
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Higher Taxa | Sphaerodactylidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
Subspecies | |
Common Names | E: Puerto Rican Sandy Geckolet, Townsend's Least Gecko, Townsend's dwarf sphaero |
Synonym | Sphaerodactylus townsendi GRANT 1931: 208 Sphaerodactylus nicholsi townsendi — THOMAS & SCHWARTZ 1966: 245 Sphaerodactylus townsendi — SCHWARTZ & HENDERSON 1991: 542 Sphaerodactylus townsendi — KLUGE 1993 Sphaerodactylus townsendi — RÖSLER 2000: 114 |
Distribution | Puerto Rico, Vieques, Caja de M. Type locality: Northeast corner of Cabeza de San Juan, Puerto Rico. |
Reproduction | oviparous |
Types | Holotype: MCZ 34613. |
Diagnosis | DESCRIPTION: Size small (SVL in males to 28 mm, in females to 28 mm); dorsals moderately sized, acute, strongly keeled, flattened, imbricate, axilla to groin 20-28; no area of middorsal granules or granular scales; ventrals large, cycloid, imbricate, smooth, axilla to groin 22-29; dorsal caudal scales acute, imbricate, flat-lying or only slightly erected, ventral caudal scales smooth, enlarged midventrally; snout broad, short; snout scales small, granular, swollen, juxtaposed; 3 postnasals; 1-3 (mode 1; 2 occurs with some frequency) internasals; upper labials to mideye 3; gular scales keeled or smooth; chest scales smooth; midbody scales 35-45; escutcheon moderate, with extensions onto thighs, 3-7 x 10-22. Not sexually dichromatic; dorsum sandy gray to dull grayish brown or yellow brown, with irregular, darker brown mottling and spotting, sometimes as light-centered ocelli; buff dorsolateral lines often extending from eye to sacrum, at times indicated more by lack of spotting than by different color; scapular ocelli (when present) faint, irregular, and asymmetrical; dark scapular patch at times indicated but usually much reduced; sacral pattern a pair of black, parallel lines or a light-edged, black U, at times absent; head finely vermiculate darker brown on light brown ground; venter dirty white to gray; throat heavily marked with black streaking or mottling to unmarked; tail upper side with diffuse, darker brown markings, underside yellow, orange, pale orange; iris golden or brown (Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 542). |
Comment | For illustrations see Grant, 1931; Thomas and Schwartz, 1966 (as S. nicholsi townsendi); Rivero, 1978 (as S. nicholsi townsendi). |
Etymology | Named after Charles Haskins Townsend (1859-1944), a zoologist who worked for the U.S. Fish Commission (1883-1902). He explored northern California (1883-1884) and the Kobuk River, Alaska (1885), and was an expert before the Russo-American fisheries arbitration at The Hague (1896). |
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