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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Puerto Rican Karst Gecko

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

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Open encyclopedia reference

Sphaerodactylus verdeluzicola, also known commonly as the Puerto Rican karst gecko, is a small species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Background and Discovery The colonization history of dwarf geckos of the genus Sphaerodactylus in the Mona Passage—spanning the islands of Puerto Rico, Mona, and Desecheo—has been reconstructed using mitochondrial DNA from the 12S and 16S rRNA genes. A phylogeographic study proposed a stepwise colonization model in which Sphaerodactylus nicholsi from southwestern Puerto Rico dispersed to Mona Island, giving rise to the endemic S. monensis, which subsequently colonized Desecheo Island and diverged into S. levinsi. Phylogenetic analyses and haplotype networks showed that these three species form a monophyletic group distinct from other Caribbean species, with divergence times estimated at approximately 3 million years ago for the Mona colonization and 2.6 million years ago for the subsequent dispersal to Desecheo. The study also identified a genetically distinct population of Sphaerodactylus in Rincón, Puerto Rico, that may represent a previously undescribed species.

Wikipedia contributors, Sphaerodactylus verdeluzicola; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:42:01.189712+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
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
Name authority
Díaz-Lameiro, Villamil, Gamble, Pinto, Herrera-Martínez, Thomas, Bernstein, Titus-Mcquillan, Nielsen, Agosto-Torres, Puente-Rolón, Bird-Picó, Oleksyk, Martínez-Cruzado & Daza, 2022
Common name
Puerto Rican Karst Gecko
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Reptilia
Order
Squamata
Family
Sphaerodactylidae
Genus
Sphaerodactylus
Extinction status
Not supplied by this source

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classReptilia Laurenti, 1768
  9. orderSquamata Oppel, 1811
  10. suborderGekkota
  11. familySphaerodactylidae
  12. genusSphaerodactylus
  13. speciesSphaerodactylus verdeluzicola Díaz-Lameiro, Villamil, Gamble, Pinto, Herrera-Martínez, Thomas, Bernstein, Titus-Mcquillan, Nielsen, Agosto-Torres, Puente-Rolón, Bird-Picó, Oleksyk, Martínez-Cruzado & Daza, 2022

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Sphaerodactylus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Ocellated GeckoSphaerodactylus argus Gosse, 1850SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Dwarf geckoSphaerodactylus ariasae Hedges & Thomas, 2001SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Guantanamo Coastal GeckoletSphaerodactylus armasi Schwartz & Garrido, 1974SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Beck's Least GeckoSphaerodactylus becki Schmidt, 1919SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Baracoan Eyespot GeckoletSphaerodactylus celicara Garrido & Schwartz, 1982SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Orange-spotted GeckoletSphaerodactylus clenchi Shreve, 1968SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Cochran's Least GeckoSphaerodactylus cochranae Ruibal, 1946SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Upper Central American GeckoletSphaerodactylus continentalis Werner, 1896SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Cope's Least GeckoSphaerodactylus copei Steindachner, 1867SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Central Bahamas GeckoletSphaerodactylus corticola Garman, 1888SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Bakoruco Least GeckoSphaerodactylus cryphius Thomas & Schwartz, 1977SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied
Darlington's Least GeckoSphaerodactylus darlingtoni Shreve, 1968SphaerodactylidaeChordataAccepted speciesExtinction status not supplied

Browse 186 records assigned to Sphaerodactylidae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Recorded nameSource status
Sphaerodactylus klauberi Rivero, 2006 Rivero, 2006ambiguous synonym
Sphaerodactylus klauberi Schwartz & Henderson, 1991 Schwartz & Henderson, 1991ambiguous synonym
Sphaerodactylus klauberi Rivero, 1998 Rivero, 1998ambiguous synonym

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Puerto Rico

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Sphaerodactylus&species=verdeluzicola Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:C8CDS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.