Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell

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 : 73-74

Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell

( Fig. 6 )

Sphaeriodactylus millepunctatus Hallowell 1861: 480 . Neotype UMMZ 173053 (designated by Harris & Kluge 1984: 18). Restricted type locality “ NICARAGUA: Río San Juan; Isla Mancarrón of the Solentiname Archipiélago, 11°10’N, 85°02’W ” ( Harris & Kluge 1984: 18).

Geographic distribution. Low and moderate elevations from the Mosquitia region of northeastern Honduras to northern Costa Rica. The species also occurs on Isla de Maíz Grande, Nicaragua (see Fig. 3 for Honduran localities).

Diagnosis. Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus can be distinguished from S. continentalis in having slightly larger and fewer dorsal scales (42–57, x = 51.7 ± 5.0 in 15 S. millepunctatus versus 59–70, x = 63.5 ± 3.4 in 20 S. continentalis examined for this study; see Discussion and Appendix I). Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus 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 millepunctatus also differs from S. guanajae in having more subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe (9–12, x = 9.7 ± 0.8 on 30 sides versus 8–9, x = 8.6 ± 0.5 on 12 sides in S. guanajae ) and also differs from S. leonardovaldesi in having larger dorsal scales (42–57, x = 51.7 ± 5.0 in 15 S. millepunctatus versus 58–66, x = 61.7 ± 2.7 in 13 S. leonardovaldesi ). Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus also differs from S. continentalis , S. guanajae , and S. leonardovaldesi in molecular data ( Fig. 1 ). Sphaerodactylus homolepis Cope also narrowly occurs sympatrically with S. millepunctatus in southeastern Nicaragua and adjacent northeastern Costa Rica, but S. homolepis has a single supranasal scale and has alternating median subcaudal scales (versus two supranasals and subcaudals aligned in a single series in S. millepunctatus ).

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 6. Adult male (FMNH 282793) of Sphaerodactylus millepunctatus (SVL 27.3 mm) from Dos Bocas, Gracias a Dios, Honduras. Photograph by J. R. McCranie.