Sphaerodactylus

Sphaerodactylus is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other Gekkota by their small size, by their round, rather than vertical, eye pupils, and by each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, from which their name (Sphaero = round, dactylus = finger) is derived. All species in this genus are rather small, but two species, S. ariasae and S. parthenopion, are tiny, and – with a snout-vent length of about 1.6 cm – the smallest reptiles in the world.

Fossil record
Fossil remains referred to Sphaerodactylus have been recovered from Dominican amber.

Species
The following 108 species are recognized as being valid.


 * Sphaerodactylus alphus McCranie & Hedges, 2013 - Guanaja large-scaled geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus altavelensis Noble, 1933 - Alto Velo least gecko, Alto Velo sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus argivus Garman, 1888 - Cayman least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus argus Gosse, 1850 - ocellated gecko, ocellated sphaero, stippled sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus ariasae Hedges & Thomas, 2001 - Jaragua sphaero, Jaragua dwarf gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus armasi Schwartz & Garrido, 1974 - Guantanamo least gecko, Guantanamo coastal gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus armstrongi Noble, 1933 - Armstrong's least gecko, southern forest geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus asterulus Schwartz & Graham, 1980 - Haitian least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus beattyi Grant, 1937 - Saint Croix's sphaero, Beatty's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus becki Schmidt, 1919 - Beck's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus bromeliarum G. Peters & Schwartz, 1977 - El Yunque least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus caicosensis Cochran, 1934 - Caicos banded sphaero, Caicos least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus callocricus Schwartz, 1976 - rough-banded sphaero, callous least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus celicara Garrido & Schwartz, 1982 - Baracoan eyespot sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus cinereus Wagler, 1830 - gray gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus clenchi Shreve, 1968 - peninsula least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus cochranae Ruibal, 1946 - Cochran's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus continentalis F. Werner, 1896 - upper Central American geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus copei Steindachner, 1867 - Cope's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus corticola Garman, 1888 - central Bahamas sphaero, Rum Cay least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus cricoderus Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1992 - Turquino collared sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus cryphius Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 - Bakoruco least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus dacnicolor Barbour, 1910 - Jamaican tailspot sphaero, eastern Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus darlingtoni Shreve, 1968 - Darlington's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus difficilis Barbour, 1914 - Hispaniolan eyespot sphaero, difficult least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus dimorphicus Fong & Díaz, 2004 - Santiago de Cuba geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus docimus Schwartz & Garrido, 1985 - Cabo Cruz banded sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus dunni Schmidt, 1936 - Dunn's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus elasmorhynchus Thomas, 1966 - Marche Leon least gecko, snout-shield sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus elegans Macleay, 1834 - ashy gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus elegantulus Barbour, 1917 - Antigua least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus epiurus Thomas & Hedges, 1993 - Hispaniolan tailspot sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus exsul Barbour, 1914 - Swan Islands geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus fantasticus A.M.C. Duméril & Bibron, 1836 - fantastic least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus gaigeae Grant, 1932 -chevronated sphaero, Gaige's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus gilvitorques Cope, 1862 - Jamaican collared sphaero, Jamaican least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus glaucus Cope, 1866 - collared dwarf gecko, least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus goniorhynchus Cope, 1895 - Jamaican forest sphaero, Cakoarita least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus grandisquamis Stejneger, 1904 - big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
 * Sphaerodactylus graptolaemus Harris & Kluge, 1984 - Costa Rica least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus guanajae McCranie & Hedges, 2012 - Guanaja head-spotted geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus heliconiae Harris, 1982
 * Sphaerodactylus homolepis Cope, 1886 - Caribbean least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus inaguae Noble, 1932 - Inagua sphaero, Inagua least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus inigoi Thomas & Schwartz, 1966 - Isla Vieques dwarf gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus intermedius Barbour & Ramsden, 1919 - Mantanzas least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus kirbyi Lazell, 1994 - Bequia dwarf gecko, Bequia sphaero, Grenadines sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus klauberi Grant, 1931 - Klauber's dwarf gecko, Klauber's least gecko, Puerto Rican highland sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus ladae Thomas & Hedges, 1988 - Martin Garcia least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus lazelli Shreve, 1968 - Cap-Haitien least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus leonardovaldesi McCranie & Hedges, 2012
 * Sphaerodactylus leucaster Schwartz, 1973 - eastern least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus levinsi Heatwole, 1968 - Desecheo gecko, Isla Desecheo least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus lineolatus Lichtenstein & von Martens, 1856 - Panama least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus macrolepis Günther, 1859 - big-scaled least gecko, big-scaled dwarf gecko, cotton ginner
 * Sphaerodactylus mariguanae Cochran, 1934 - southern Bahamas sphaero, Mayaguana least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus microlepis J.T. Reinhardt & Lütken, 1862 - little-scaled least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus micropithecus Schwartz, 1977 - Monito gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell, 1861 - spotted least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus molei Boettger, 1894 - Tobago least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus monensis Meerwarth, 1901 - Mona least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus nicholsi Grant, 1931 - Nichols least gecko, Nichol's dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican crescent sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus Gray, 1845 - black-spotted least gecko, three-banded sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus notatus Baird, 1859 - reef gecko, brown-speckled sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus nycteropus Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 - Morne Dubois least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus ocoae Schwartz, 1977 - Peravia least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus oliveri Grant, 1944 - Juventud least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus omoglaux Thomas, 1982 - Fond Parisien least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus oxyrhinus Gosse, 1850 - Jamaican sharpnosed sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus pacificus Stejneger, 1903 - Pacific least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus parkeri (Grant, 1939) - Parker's least gecko, southern Jamaica banded sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus parthenopion Thomas, 1965 - Virgin Islands dwarf sphaero, Virgin Gorda least gecko, Virgin Islands dwarf gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus parvus King, 1962 - Anguilla Bank geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus perissodactylius Thomas & Hedges, 1988 - Dominican least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus phyzacinus Thomas, 1964 - Les Saintes geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus pimienta Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1998 - pepper sphaero, Cuban pepper sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus plummeri Thomas & Hedges, 1992 - Barahona big-scaled sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus poindexteri McCranie & Hedges, 2013 - Utila small-scaled geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus ramsdeni Ruibal, 1959 - Ramsden's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus randi Shreve, 1968 - Pedernales least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus rhabdotus Schwartz, 1970 - two-striped sphaero, Vallede Neiba least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus richardi Hedges & Garrido, 1993 - Richard's banded sphaero, Zapata big-scaled sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus richardsonii Gray, 1845 - Richardson's least gecko, northern Jamaica banded sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus roosevelti Grant, 1931 - Roosevelt's beige sphaero, Roosevelt's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus rosaurae Parker, 1940 - Bay Island least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus ruibali Grant, 1959 - Ruibal's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus sabanus Cochran, 1938 - Saba least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus samanensis Cochran, 1932 - Samana least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus savagei Shreve, 1968 - Altagracia speckled sphaero, Savage's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus scaber Barbour & Ramsden, 1919 - double-collared sphaero, Camaguey least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus scapularis Boulenger, 1902 - Boulenger's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus schuberti Thomas & Hedges, 1998 - Neiba agave geckolet, Neiba agave sphaero, Schubert's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus schwartzi Thomas, Hedges & Garrido, 1992 - Guantanamo collared sphaero, Monitongas collared geckolet, Schwartz's dwarf gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus semasiops Thomas, 1975 - Cockpit eyespot sphaero, Cockpit least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus shrevei Lazell, 1961 - Shreve's least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus siboney Fong & Diaz, 2004 - Siboney gray-headed geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus sommeri Graham, 1981 - TerreNueve least gecko, Terre-Neuve least gecko, northwest Haitian banded geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus sputator (Sparrman, 1784) - island least gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus storeyae Grant, 1944 - Isle of Pines sphaero, Los Canarreos sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus streptophorus Thomas & Schwartz, 1977 - Hispaniola least gecko, Hispaniolan small-eared sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus thompsoni Schwartz & Franz, 1976 - Thompson's least gecko, Barahona limestone sphaero
 * Sphaerodactylus torrei Barbour, 1914 - Barbour's least gecko, Cuban broad-banded geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus townsendi Grant, 1931 - Townsend's least gecko, Townsend's dwarf sphaero, Puerto Rican sandy geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus underwoodi Schwartz, 1968 - Underwood's least gecko, Turks Islands geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus verdeluzicola Díaz-Lameiro, Villamil, Gamble, Pinto, Herrera-Martínez, Thomas, Bernstein, Titus-McQuillan, Nielsen, Agosto-Torres, Puente-Rolón, Bird-Picó, Oleksyk, Martínez-Cruzado & Daza, 2022 - Puerto Rican karst gecko
 * Sphaerodactylus vincenti Boulenger, 1891 - Vincent's least gecko, Central Lesser Antillean sphaero, Windward geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus williamsi Thomas & Schwartz, 1983 - Williams's least gecko, Haitian striped geckolet
 * Sphaerodactylus zygaena Schwartz, 1977 - Dame-Marie least gecko, Tiburon coastal geckolet

Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Sphaerodactylus.