Mole's Day Gecko, Sphaerodactylus molei (Family Spaerodactylidae)

Sphaerodactylus molei Boettger 1894: 80.
Sphaerodactylus buergeri Werner 1900: 264.
Sphaerodactylus venezuelanus Roux 1927: 254.
Sphaerodactylus boettgeri: Donoso-Barros 1968.

Type locality: Caparo, Trinidad. Distribution. Antilles, Guyana, Venezuela, Margarita Island (Venezuela), Trinidad, Tobago.

Adult males and females measure 20-28.0 mm and 20.8-27.7 mm respectively; smallest specimen 16.6 mm. Dorsal body scales strongly keeled, minute, homogeneous, 63-83 from groin-axilla. Ventrals 31-39. Scales around mid-body 65-81. Supra-nasals two; larger anterior ones separated by 1-3 small inter-nasals. Rostral deeply notched behind, filled by 1-3 small scales; median cleft short. Fourth supralabial lies below anterior half of' eye; fourth infralabial below center of eye. Subcaudal scales to three times width of supra-caudals, alternately arranged. Dorsal surfaces light brown with a light dorsolateral stripe, variously faded or accentuated on trunk, but never broken. These are the smallest lizards on Trinidad and Tobago and habitat is difficult to define. They are often in crevices in buildings, but probably also occur under tree bark.

References

Boettger O. 1894. A preliminary list of the reptiles and batrachians of the Island of Trinidad. With descriptions of two new species. J. Field Natural. Club, Trinidad, Port of-Spain, 2: 77-90

Cole CJ, Townsend CR, Reynolds RP, MacCulloch RD, Lathrop A, 2013. Amphibians and reptiles of Guyana, South America: illustrated keys, annotated species accounts, and a biogeographic synopsis. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 125 (4): 317-578; plates: 580-620.

Gorzula S & Senaris, JC. 1999. In: Contribution to the herpetofauna of the Venezuelan Guayana. I: a data base. Scientia Guaianae, Caracas, No. 8 [1998], 269.

Harris DM. The Sphaerodactylus (Sauria: Gekkonidae) of South America. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Occasional Papers (704):1-31.

Lynn WG. 1959. Some Reptiles and Amphibians from Trinidad. Herpetologica 15 (3): 113-117.

Mertens R. 1972. Herpetofauna tobagana. Stuttgarter Beitr. zur Naturkunde nr. 252 22 pp.

Rivas GA et al. 2012. Reptiles of Venezuela: an updated and commented checklist. Zootaxa 3211: 1–64

Roux J. 1927. Contribution à l’erpétologie du Vénézuéla. Verhandlungen dem Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 38: 252—261.

Werner F. 1900. Ueber Reptilien und Batrachier aus Columbien und Trinidad. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien, 50:262—272.