Ashy gecko

The ashy gecko (Sphaerodactylus elegans) is a species of gecko native to Cuba (including Isla de la Juventud) and Hispaniola (Haiti, including Gonâve Island and Les Cayemites, and the Dominican Republic).[2] It is a small species, dark in color with many white spots. It is also a good climber. Ashy geckos have been introduced to a few small islands in southernmost Florida, and have established populations there.[3]

Ashy gecko
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Sphaerodactylidae
Genus: Sphaerodactylus
Species:
S. elegans
Binomial name
Sphaerodactylus elegans

There are eighteen species of Sphaerodactylus which can be put in seven morphological groups. There are two subspecies of S. elegans:[2]

S. elegans elegans is the subspecies native to Cuba including Isla de la Juventud, the archipelagos of Canarreos and Jardines de la Reina, and throughout the length of the Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago.[4]

In Florida

The first observation of the species in Florida occurred in 1922 when it was introduced from somewhere in the West Indies excluding The Bahamas.[5] Prior to 1930 species from the West Indies migrated to nearby islands through the means of cargo shipments. This mechanism is the most probable means of the immigration for S. elegens elegans to Monroe County, specifically the lower Florida Keys. The subspecies has not travelled far since 1922. Still found in the lower Keys, this species has had almost a century to migrate north but has been limited by geographic barriers.[5] Although many of the lower Keys are connected by bridges used for vehicular traffic, and the Seven Mile Bridge connects Big Pine Key and Bahia Honda Key to Marathon Key, this is apparently not a viable route for this tiny, tropical species. S. elegans elegans is one of only twelve of over five hundred species of reptiles and amphibians from the West Indies to colonize south Florida. The proximity of the origin of the species is an important factor in its immigration to the lower Keys.[6]

S. elegans elegans is small. S. elegans elegans has granular scales. Its snout has a maximum length of 39 millimeters.[4] Its colors range from a red tail to a blue tail, with a green midsection, and always with thin horizontal bands of black across its body. Its limbs are a variously colored and seem almost opaque in comparison to the rest of the body. There are no color differences between male and females in this subspecies.[6] The other subspecies, S. elegans punctatissimus, is more muted and earthy in tone, overall less vibrant, with more of a spotted pattern.

References
  1. Hedges, B. & Fong, A. 2017. Sphaerodactylus elegans. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T75605419A75607734. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-2.RLTS.T75605419A75607734.en. Downloaded on 28 February 2019.
  2. Sphaerodactylus elegans at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 20 October 2015.
  3. "Nonnatives - Ashy Gecko". Florida Fish and Wildlife. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  4. Thomas, Richard; Hedges, S. Blair; Garrido, Orlando (March 1998). "A New Gecko (Sphaerodactylus) from the Sierra Maestra of Cuba". Journal of Herpetology. 32 (1): 66. doi:10.2307/1565480. JSTOR 1565480. S2CID 55137697.
  5. Simberloff, Daniel; Schmitz, Don C.; Brown, Tom C.; Wilson, Edward O. (1997). Strangers in paradise : impact and management of nonindigenous species in Florida. Washington, D.C. ISBN 1559634294. OCLC 36126821.
  6. Caribbean amphibians and reptiles. Crother, Brian I., Schwartz, Albert, 1923-1992. San Diego: Academic Press. 1999. ISBN 9780121979553. OCLC 162128973.CS1 maint: others (link)
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