Dunn's least gecko (''Sphaerodactylus dunni'') 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 ...

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 ...

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

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 ...

, ''dunni'', is in honor of American herpetologist Emmett Reid Dunn.

Geographic range

''S. dunni'' is found in northern Honduras.

Habitat

The preferred natural

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. dunni'' 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 .

Description

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 ...

of ''S. dunni'' has a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of . The

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 ...

are keeled and imbricate (overlapping).

Schmidt Schmidt may refer to: * Schmidt (surname), including list of people with the surname * Schmidt (singer) (born 1990), German pop and jazz singer * Schmidt (lunar crater), a small lunar impact crater * Schmidt (Martian crater), a List of craters on ...

(1936).

Behavior

''S. dunni'' is terrestrial and diurnal.

Reproduction

''S. dunni'' 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

* Harris DM, Kluge AG (1984). "The ''Sphaerodactylus'' (Sauria: Gekkonidae) of Middle America". ''Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan'' (706): 1-59. (''Sphaerodactylus dunni'', p. 42). * Köhler G (2008). ''Reptiles of Central America, Second Edition''. Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton Verlag. 400 pp. . * McCranie JR (2018). "The Lizards, Crocodiles, and Turtles of Honduras. Systematics, Distribution, and Conservation". ''Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology'' 15 (1): 1–129. * Meyer JR, Wilson LD (1971). "Taxonomic Studies and Notes on some Honduran Amphibians and Reptiles". ''Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences'' 70: 106–114. * Schmidt KP (1936). "New Amphibians and Reptiles from Honduras in the Museum of Comparative Zoology". ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'' 49: 43–50. (''Sphaerodactylus dunni'', new species, pp. 46–47). Sphaerodactylus Reptiles of Honduras Endemic fauna of Honduras Reptiles described in 1936 Taxa named by Karl Patterson Schmidt {{Sphaerodactylus-stub