Darlington's least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni'') is a
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of 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 the appropriate s ...
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 alt ...
in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Sphaerodactylidae. 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 elsew ...
to the
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...
.
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 ...
, ''darlingtoni'', is in honor of American entomologist
Philip Jackson Darlington, Jr., who collected the
holotype
A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of several ...
.
[
The subspecific name, ''noblei'', is in honor of American herpetologist Gladwyn Kingsley Noble.][ Shreve, p. 16.]
Subspecies
Four 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 species ...
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 species ...
.[
*'' Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni bobilini''
*'' Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni darlingtoni''
*'' Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni mekistus''
*'' Sphaerodactylus darlingoni noblei''
]
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. darlingtoni'' 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. darlingtoni'' 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), and ...
.[
]
References
Further reading
* Rösler H (2000). "''Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)'' ". ''Gekkota'' 2: 28–153. (''Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni'', p. 111). (in German).
* 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 darlingtoni'', p. 486).
*Schwartz A, Thomas R (1975). ''A Check-list of West Indian Amphibians and Reptiles''. Carnegie Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 1. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 216 pp. (''Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni'', p. 149).
* Shreve B (1968). "The ''notatus'' group of ''Sphaerodactylus'' (Sauria, Gekkonidae) in Hispaniola". ''Breviora'' (280): 1-28. (''Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni'', new species, pp. 15–16; ''S. noblei'', new species, pp. 17–19).
*Thomas R, Schwartz A (1983). "Part 2. ''Sphaerodactylus savagei'', ''S. cochranae'', ''S. darlingtoni'', ''S. armstrongi'', ''S. streptophorus'', and conclusions". pp. 31–60. ''In'': Schwartz A, Thomas R (1983). "The ''difficilis'' complex of ''Sphaerodactylus'' (Sauria, Gekkonidae) of Hispaniola". ''Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History'' (22): 1-60. (''Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni bobilini'', new subspecies; ''S. d. mekistus'', new subspecies).
Sphaerodactylus
Reptiles of the Dominican Republic
Endemic fauna of the Dominican Republic
Reptiles described in 1968
Taxa named by Benjamin Shreve
{{Sphaerodactylus-stub