Sphaerodactylus townsendi

Sphaerodactylus townsendi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Gekkota
Family:	Sphaerodactylidae
Genus:	Sphaerodactylus
Species:	S. townsendi
Binomial name
Sphaerodactylus townsendi Grant, 1931
Synonyms [2] [3]
Sphaerodactylus townsendi Grant, 1931 Sphaerodactylus nicholsi townsendi — Thomas & Schwartz, 1966 Sphaerodactylus townsendi — Schwartz & Henderson, 1991

Sphaerodactylus townsendi, known commonly as the Townsend's dwarf sphaero or Townsend's least gecko, is a small species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. ^[2]

Etymology

The specific name, townsendi, is in honor of American zoologist Charles Haskins Townsend. ^[4]

Habitat

The preferred habitats of S. townsendi are forest and shrubland at altitudes of 0–200 m (0–656 ft), but it may also be found in introduced vegetation. ^[1]

Reproduction

S. townsendi is oviparous. ^[2]

References

1. Joglar, R.; Rodriguez, C.; Platenberg, R. (2017). "Sphaerodactylus townsendi ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017 e.T75605960A75607954. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T75605960A75607954.en . Retrieved 18 November 2021.
2. Sphaerodactylus townsendi at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
3. Thomas R, Schwartz A (1966). "Sphaerodactylus (Gekkonidae) in the Greater Puerto Rico Region". Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences10 (6): 193-260. (Sphaerodactylus nicholsi townsendi, new combination, pp. 245-247).
4. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. ISBN   978-1-4214-0135-5. (Sphaerodactylus townsendi, p. 267).

Further reading

• Grant C (1931). "The sphaerodactyls of Porto Rico, Culebra and Mona Islands". Journal of the Department of Agriculture of Puerto Rico15: 199–213. (Sphaerodactylus townsendi, new species, p. 208).
• Rösler H (2000). "Kommentierte Liste der rezent, subrezent und fossil bekannten Geckotaxa (Reptilia: Gekkonomorpha)". Gekkota2: 28–153. (Sphaerodactylus townsendi, 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. ISBN   978-0813010496. (Sphaerodactylus townsendi, p. 542).
• 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 nicholsi townsendi, p. 156).