Sphaerodactylus elegans
—
Ashy Gecko
Subspecies I've seen:
S. e. elegans
Cuban Ashy Gecko
Sphaerodactylus elegans elegans
—
Cuban Ashy Gecko
There are (were?) three tiny little Sphaerodactylus geckos living in the Florida keys. The Florida Reef Gecko (Sphaerodactylus notatus notatus) is considered to be the only native gecko in Florida. The Ocellated Gecko (Sphaerodactylus argus argus) has been found only a few times in decades and might no longer persist in Florida. This Ashy Gecko is the third species. It's very similar to the Florida Reef Gecko, but its snout is a little pointier, its scales a little smoother, and it climbs a little better (and in my very brief experience, isn't quite as good at escaping). This one was under a palm frond.
Printed references:
- Bartlett, R. D., Bartlett, P. B. 1999. A Field Guide to Florida Reptiles and Amphibians
- Behler, J. L., King, F. W. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians
- Conant, R., Collins, J. T. 1998. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition, expanded
- Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Edition