Sphaerodactylus richardi

Sphaerodactylus richardi
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Gekkota
Family:	Sphaerodactylidae
Genus:	Sphaerodactylus
Species:	S. richardi
Binomial name
	Sphaerodactylus richardi; Hedges & Garrido, 1993

Last updated October 06, 2025

Sphaerodactylus richardi, also known commonly as Richard's banded sphaero or the Zapata big-scaled sphaero, is a small species of gecko, a lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Cuba.^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, richardi, is in honor of American herpetologist Richard Thomas.^[3]

Taxonomy

Sphaerodactylus richardi belongs to the scaber group. Other species in the group are S. oliveri , S. scaber , and S. storeyae .^[4]

Description

Sphaerodactylus richardi may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 31.1 mm (1.22 in). It has large non-overlapping dorsal scales, except for a zone of mid-dorsal granular scales which is three scales wide. Adults have a dorsal color pattern of 5-6 bold dark crossbands on the body.^[4]

Habitat

The preferred habitats of S. richardi are forest, shrubland, and marine intertidal.^[1]

Reproduction

Sphaerodactylus richardi is oviparous.^[2]

References

1 2 Fong, A. (2017). "Sphaerodactylus richardi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017 e.T178451A71746324. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T178451A71746324.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
1 2 Sphaerodactylus richardi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 24 February 2019.
↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sphaerodactylus richardi, p. 221).
1 2 Hedges & Garrido (1993).

Hedges SB, Garrido OH (1993). "A New Species of Gecko (Sphaerodactylus) from Central Cuba". Journal of Herpetology27 (3): 300–306. (Sphaerodatylus richardi, new species). (in English, with an abstract in Spanish).
Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota2: 28–153. (Sphaerodactylus richardi, p. 114). (in German).

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[iucn_status_18_November_2021-1] 1 2 Fong, A. (2017). "Sphaerodactylus richardi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017 e.T178451A71746324. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T178451A71746324.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.

[RDB-2] 1 2 Sphaerodactylus richardi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database . Accessed 24 February 2019.

[3] Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN 978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sphaerodactylus richardi, p. 221).

[H&G-4] 1 2 Hedges & Garrido (1993).

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