Cope's least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus copei'') is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...
of
lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Sphaerodactylidae
The Sphaerodactylidae are a family of geckos (Gekkota) distributed in North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, as well as in Southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and into Central Asia. The family contains 12 ...
. The species is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...
.
Etymology
The
specific name Specific name may refer to:
* in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database
In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules:
* Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...
, ''copei'', is in honor of American herpetologist and paleontologist
Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy intereste ...
.
[Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Sphaerodactylus copei'', p. 59).]
Geographic range
''S. copei'' is found in
Haiti
Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
and the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the archi ...
.
Whether the Bahamian populations result from introductions or natural dispersal is debated.
[
]
Habitat
The preferred habitat
In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
of ''S. copei'' is forest
A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...
at altitudes of .[
]
Reproduction
''S. copei'' is oviparous
Oviparous animals are animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive method of most fish, amphibians, most reptiles, and all pterosaurs, dinosaurs (including birds), a ...
.[
]
Subspecies
Nine subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all specie ...
[
*'']Sphaerodactylus copei astreptus
''Sphaerodactylus'' is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, ...
''
*''Sphaerodactylus copei cataplexis
''Sphaerodactylus'' is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, ...
''
*''Sphaerodactylus copei copei
''Sphaerodactylus'' is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, ...
''
*''Sphaerodactylus copei deuterus
''Sphaerodactylus'' is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, ...
''
*''Sphaerodactylus copei enochrus
''Sphaerodactylus'' is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, ...
''
*''Sphaerodactylus copei pelates
''Sphaerodactylus'' is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, ...
''
*''Sphaerodactylus copei picturatus
''Sphaerodactylus'' is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, ...
''
*'' Sphaerodactylus copei polyommatus''
*'' Sphaerodactylus copei websteri''
References
Further reading
* Barbour T (1921). "''Sphaerodactylus'' ". ''Memoirs of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College'' 47 (3): 215-282. (''Sphaerodactylus copei'', pp. 259–260 + Plate 7, figure 2; Plate 21, figures 5-8).
* Garman S (1887). "On West Indian Geckonidæ and Anguidæ". ''Bulletin of the Essex Institute'' 19: 17-24. (''Sphærodactylus picturatus'', new species, pp. 19–20).
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)'' ". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28-153. (''Sphaerodactylus copei'', p. 111). (in German).
* Schwartz A (1975). "New Subspecies of ''Sphaerodactylus copei'' Steindachner (Sauria, Gekkonidae) from Hispaniola". ''Herpetologica'' 31 (1): 1-18. (''Sphaerodactylus copei astreptus'', new subspecies; ''S. c. deuterus'', new subspecies; ''S. c. pelates'', new subspecies; ''S. c. websteri'', new subspecies).
*Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). ''Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History''. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. . (''Sphaerodactylus copei'', p. 480).
*Schwartz A, Thomas R
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas t ...
(1965). "Subspeciation in ''Sphaerodactylus copei'' ". ''Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences'' 27 (4): 316-332. (''Sphaerodactylus copei cataplexis'', new subspecies, pp. 326–330; ''S. c. enochrus'', new subspecies, pp. 322–324).
*Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). ''A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''. Carnegie Museum of Natural History
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as CMNH) is a natural history museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded by Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896.
Housing some 22 million ...
Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (''Sphaerodactylus copei'', pp. 146–148).
* Steindachner F (1867). "''Reptilien'' ". pp. 1–98. ''In'': von Scherzer K (1867). ''Reise der Österreichischen Fregatte Novara um die Erde in den Jahren 1857, 1858, 1859 nter den Befehlen des Kommodore B. von Wüllerstorf-Urbair. Zoologischer Theil. Erster Band. (Wirbelthiere).'' Vienna: Kaiserlich-Könlichen Hof- und Staatsdruckerei/ Karl Gerold's Sohn. (''Sphaerodactylus copei'', new species, pp. 18-19). (in German).
*Thomas R (1968). "Notes on Antillean Geckos (''Sphaerodactylus'')". ''Herpetologica'' 24 (1): 46-60. (''Sphaerodactylus copei polyommatus'', new subspecies).
Sphaerodactylus
Reptiles of the Bahamas
Reptiles of Haiti
Reptiles described in 1867
Taxa named by Franz Steindachner
{{Sphaerodactylus-stub