Sphaerodactylus grandisquamis guarionex, Thomas & Schwartz, 1966

Daza, Juan D., Pinto, Brendan J., Thomas, Richard, Herrera-Martinez, Alexandra, Scantlebury, Daniel P., Padilla García, Luis F., Balaraman, Rajesh P., Perry, Gad & Gamble, Tony, 2019, The sprightly little sphaerodactyl: Systematics and biogeography of the Puerto Rican dwarf geckos Sphaerodactylus (Gekkota, Sphaerodactylidae), Zootaxa 4712 (2), pp. 151-201 : 168-169

Sphaerodactylus grandisquamis guarionex comb. nov. Thomas & Schwartz, 1966

Figures 16–17

Holotype — MCZ R-81048

Type locality: “Officers’ Club Beach, Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico.” [Currently called Punta Borinquen Golf and Country Club, Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.]

Diagnosis: SVL Min/Max (12.17/ 34.2 mm); midbody scales 36–49 (x̅ 41.3); number of dorsal body scales very reduced (around 14) compared to the other subspecies of S. grandisquamis (17–23); rounded snout scales; one internasal scale; low number of escutcheon scales (around 67, other subspecies of S. grandisquamis [73–95]); nine toe lamellae on the fourth toe; males with orange head; males throat patterned (also in S. g. mimetes and S. g. spanius) and variable in females; the scapular patch is the largest among all members of the S. macrolepis complex, especially in females, and is usually hexagonal enclosing the ocelli.

Color in life ( Fig. 16 ): Female: ground color light brown, head and tail fluctuates from orange to yellow, head pattern well defined, medial lines separated and parallel, ocelli color white. Male ground color light brown to gray, head yellow to light orange. Iris color yellow copper.

Distribution: Low elevation coastal areas of northern Puerto Rico from the lowlands of El Yunque National Forest to Rincón, a transition to S. m. ateles around Mayaguez and with S. g. spanius on high elevations of the Cordillera Central.

Figures

FIGURE 16. Live specimens of Sphaerodactylus g. guarionex from Barceloneta, Puerto Rico (A, female and B, male).

FIGURE17.AdultspecimensofSphaerodactylusg.guarionexfromBarceloneta,Puerto Rico.A–B,Female(SHSUHerp000187), C–D male (SHSUHerp000183).