Added 19 September 2001. Last updated 14 August 2022: added a link to Teratoscincus.

A look at the

Infraorder GEKKOTA - Geckos

Family SPHAERODACTYLIDAE



Family SPHAERODACTYLIDAE - Ball-Toed Geckos

Under the classification of geckos used until recently, Sphaerodactylinae were considered to include just five New World genera, although many authorities did not in fact recognise the subfamily and considered these geckos to be part of the Gekkoninae instead. More recently the new classification of geckos has not only raised these geckos to a full family but also added several other genera to them from the Family Gekkonidae, from both the Old and New Worlds.

Scientific Name

Common Name

Distribution

# of Species

Notes

Aristelliger

Caribbean Geckos, Croaking Geckos 

Mainly Caribbean, also South and Central America 

8

 

Chatogekko

 

NE South America inc. Brazil

1

Formerly assigned to Coleodactylus.

Coleodactylus

 

South America, mainly Brazil

5


Euleptes

European Leaf-Toed Geckos

Western Mediterranean 

1

Formerly part of the genus Phyllodactylus.

Gonatodes

 

North, Central and South America and the Caribbean 

29

May also be considered members of Cyrtodactylus or Cyrtopodion 

Lepidoblepharis

 

Central America and N South America as far as Brazil 

17

 

Pristurus

Rock Geckos 

Mainly Arabia and Socotra Island (Red Sea), also Middle East and Horn of Africa

21

 

Pseudogonatodes

Barking Geckos

South America from Colombia to Brazil

7

Quedenfeldtia

Atlas Day Geckos

North Africa

2

 

Saurodactylus

Lizard-Fingered Geckos

N Africa 

2

 

Sphaerodactylus

Caribbean and adjacent mainland areas of the Americas

70

 

Teratoscincus

Wonder Geckos*

C Asia

6

Fascinating but fairly demanding creatures in captivity. At one point placed in their own subfamily, the Teratoscincinae.



Bibliography

Lizards of the World, Mattison

Breeding and Keeping Geckos, Coborn, TFH 1995 - a particularly valuable book for lesser known geckos, especially the Diplodactylines.

Keeping and Breeding Lizards, Mattison

Geckos: Keeping and Breeding Them in Captivity, Walls and Walls, TFH 1999.

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