''Sphaerodactylus williamsi'', also known
commonly as Williams's least gecko or the Haitian striped geckolet, is a small
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
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 ...
.
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 ...
, ''williamsi'', is in honor of American herpetologist
Ernest Edward Williams
Ernest Edward Williams (January 7, 1914 – September 1, 1998) was an American herpetologist. He coined the term ''ecomorph'' based on his research on anoles.
Taxa named in honor of Ernest E. Williams
The following species are named in honor of ...
.
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. williamsi'' 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' ...
.
Description
''S. williamsi'' is a small species. 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 ...
has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . It has small
keeled dorsal scales
In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales. Campbell JA, Lamar WW (2004). ''The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere''. Ithaca and London: Comstock Publis ...
.
[Thomas & Schwartz (1983).]
Reproduction
''S. williamsi'' 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 williamsi'', p. 114). (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 williamsi'', p. 547).
* Thomas R, Schwartz A (1983). "Variation in Hispaniolan ''Sphaerodactylus'' (Sauria: Gekkonidae)". pp. 86–98. ''In'': Rhodin AGJ, Miyata K (editors) (1983). ''Advances in Herpetology and Evolutionary Biology. Essays in Honor of Ernest E. Williams''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. xix + 725 pp. . (''Sphaerodactylus williamsi'', new species, pp. 96–97 + Figure 2E on p. 90).
Sphaerodactylus
Endemic fauna of Haiti
Reptiles of Haiti
Reptiles described in 1983
{{Sphaerodactylus-stub