Sphaerodactylus continentalis Werner

Mccranie, James R. & Hedges, Blair, 2012, Two new species of geckos from Honduras and resurrection of Sphaerodactylus continentalis Werner from the synonymy of Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell (Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonoidea, Sphaerodactylidae), Zootaxa 3492, pp. 65-76 : 72

Sphaerodactylus continentalis Werner

( Fig. 5 )

Sphaerodactylus argus var. continentalis Werner 1896: 345 . Holotype ZIN 8880 (see Harris & Kluge 1984: 25). Type locality “ Honduras ” (see Discussion).

Geographic distribution. Low and moderate elevations from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in northern Oaxaca, Mexico, to about the Catacamas, Olancho, region of east-central Honduras. Sphaerodactylus continentalis also occurs on Utila Island in the Honduran Bay Islands and possibly on Cozumel Island, Quintana Roo, Mexico (see Discussion; see Fig. 3 for Honduran localities).

Diagnosis. Sphaerodactylus continentalis can be distinguished from S. millepunctatus (sensu stricto) in having smaller and more numerous dorsal scales (59–70, x = 63.5 ± 3.4 in 20 S. continentalis versus 42–57, x = 51.7 ± 5.0 in 15 S. millepunctatus examined for this study; but see Discussion and Appendix I). Sphaerodactylus continentalis differs from both S. guanajae and S. leonardovaldesi in lacking a short thin pale yellow line above each pelvis, in usually having distinct dorsal spots that are larger than one scale, and in usually having distinct dark stripes on the posterior end of the head and anterior portion of the body (versus short pale pelvic lines almost always present, only scattered dark spots on body that are confined to one scale, and indistinct dark stripes on head and body in those two species). Sphaerodactylus continentalis also differs from S. guanajae in having more subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (9–12, x = 10.0 ± 0.8 on 40 sides versus 8–9, x = 8.6 ± 0.5 on 12 sides in S. guanajae ) and also differs from S. leonardovaldesi in having more scales around the midbody (64–80, x = 71.9 ± 4.8 in 20 S. continentalis versus 48–67, x = 59.8 ± 6.0 in 13 S. leonardovaldesi ). Sphaerodactylus continentalis also differs from S. guanajae , S. millepunctatus , and S. leonardovaldesi in molecular data ( Fig. 1 ). Sphaerodactylus glaucus Cope and S. dunni Schmidt can occur sympatrically with S. continentalis . The former has smooth dorsal scales (versus keeled in S. continentalis ) and S. dunni has the superciliary spine located posterior to the level of the mideye, the third supralabial lying below the anterior half of the eye, and the medium subcaudal scales alternating (versus superciliary spine at mideye or anterior to that point, fourth supralabial below anterior half of eye, and median subcaudal scales aligned in a single row in S. continentalis ). Sphaerodactylus rosaurae occurs sympatrically with S. continentalis on Isla de Utila, but S. continentalis is most easily distinguished from that species in having all dorsal body scales of a similar size (versus middorsal row of granular scales sharply and distinctly differentiated from much larger surrounding dorsal scales in S. rosaurae ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic tree of four species of Middle American Sphaerodactylus from a maximum-likelihood analysis of DNA sequences of two mitochondrial genes (12 S rRNA and cytochrome b). A scale bar is indicated below. The numbers at nodes are bootstrap (left) and Bayesian (right) support values. The tree is rooted with the Middle American species S. dunni (not shown, for better visualization of ingroup).

FIGURE 3. Map of Honduras showing localities for specimens examined of Sphaerodactylus continentalis (circles), S. guanajae (inverted triangles), S. leonardovaldesi (squares), and S. millepunctatus (triangles).

FIGURE 5. Adult male (USNM 570166) of Sphaerodactylus continentalis (SVL 28.2 mm) from Estación Forestal CURLA, Atlántida, Honduras. Photograph by J. R. McCranie.