Added 1 April 2013.
A genus of eight species from Central America and the Caribbean.
Boulenger gives the following characteristics for the genus: digits slender at the base, free, strongly dilated at the extremity, furnished with undivided transverse lamellae inferiorly; distal phalanges, except of the thumbs, free, elongate, compressed, raised, clawed; inner digits short, scarcely dilated at the base, the apex dilated into a small disk with a circular plate inferiorly, and provided with a sheathed retractile claw, the sheath opening laterally and inwards; upper surfaces covered with granular scales; belly with cycloid imbricated scales; pupil vertical; eyelid distinct all round the eye; no femoral or preanal pores.
I am not aware of any of these species being offered in captivity in the UK.
A. barbouri, Striped Caribbean Gecko |
A. cochranae, Cochran's Caribbean Gecko |
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A. georgeensis, Saint George Island Gecko |
A. hechti, Hecht's Caribbean Gecko |
A. lar, Spotted Caribbean Gecko |
A. praesignis, Woodslave, Croaking Lizard |
A. reyesi, Reyes' Caribbean Gecko |
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Scientific Name |
Common Name |
Distribution |
Size |
Notes |
Striped Caribbean Gecko |
Bahamas |
TL 22½cm/SVL 9½ccm |
Scalation: rostral broad, with median cleft above, entering nostril; 8 supralabials; 8 infralabials; mental large, pentagonal, extending beyond the labials, bordered on each side by small chin-shield; tail dorsally covered with small, flat, slightly imbricated scales and ventrally with mid row of transversely dilated plates; about 13 subdigital lamellae on 4th toe. Other: head moderated, elongate; snout obtusely conical, considerably loner than distance between eye and ear opening; ear opening moderate, oval, oblique, greatest diameter about half of orbit; body and limbs moderate; digits unequal. Coloration: dorsally brown, usually with darker crossbars on back and tail and dark spot above axilla; sometimes with whitish spots; dark streak on each side of head, passing through eye; lips white-spotted; flanks reticulated with dark brown; lower surfaces whitish, throat with brown marblings or oblique streaks. [SOURCE: Boulenger] |
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Cochran's Caribbean Gecko, Cochran's Croaking Gecko |
Bahamas, Hispaniola (inc. Haitian islands of Grand Cayemite, Gonâve and La Tortue, and Dominican islands of Alto Velo and Cabritos), Navassa Island |
SVL 6¼cm (m), 5¼ (f), 2cm (juv) |
Scalation: 6-9 supralabials; lateral postmentals ½-¾x as wide as 1st infralabial and in contact with midline of mental; 14-18 ventral rows: nasals somewhat bulbous, 1st nasals separated from each other by 3 scales:: row of 18-20 enlarged scales across the top of the head: 4 well-developed preanal pores. Scales homogenous on lower surfaces of thighs. Subdigital lamellae on 4th toes of both feet 19-26. Coloration: dorsally overall tan, grey, or yellow-brown to brown; 6 wide tan transverse bands; light-bordered dark stripe running from snout through eye to sacrum (in males) or shoulder (females); tail with 9 dark narrow transverse bands followed by light bands of same width, and is ventrally dark in males but white in females. [SOURCE: Lynxwiler & Parmerlee] |
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Hispaniola and associated islands |
Max SVL 5½cm |
Formerly considered a subspecies of A. cochranae. Scalation: 6-7 supralabials; dorsal granules larger than in A. cochranae, 12-17 on top of snout between eyes and 25-33 dorsal scale rows; 18-22 subdigital lamellae on 4th toes. Other: snout longer than in A. cochranae. Coloration: dark stripe from nostril to shoulder,widening to blotch and then becoming fainter and more irregular lateral stripe, fading out on the tail; 6-7 very narrow transverse bands on dorsum, of which most anterior is broken in the middle; bands across tail, much less distinct than in A. cochranae. |
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Saint George Island Gecko |
Mexico (Quintana Roo, Cozumel), Belize (inc. St George Island), Honduras (inc. Swan Islands), Colombia (inc. San Andrés, Santa Catalina, and Isla de Providencia), Bahamas (Crab Cay) |
?" |
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Hecht's Caribbean Gecko |
Caicos Islands |
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Spotted Caribbean Gecko |
Hispaniola |
SVL 13cm |
Scalation: rostral broad, with median cleft above, entering nostril; 8 supralabials; 8 infralabials; mental large, pentagonal, extending beyond the labials, bordered on each side by small chin-shield; tail dorsally covered with small, flat, slightly imbricated scales and ventrally with mid row of transversely dilated plates; about 21 subdigital lamellae on 4th toe. Other: head moderated, elongate; snout obtusely conical, considerably loner than distance between eye and ear opening; ear opening moderate, oval, oblique, greatest diameter about half of orbit; body and limbs moderate; digits unequal; anterior mandibulary teeth longer than the median. Coloration: dorsally brown, usually with darker crossbars on back and tail and dark spot above axilla; sometimes with whitish spots; dark streak on each side of head, passing through eye; lips white-spotted; flanks reticulated with dark brown; lower surfaces whitish, throat with brown marblings or oblique streaks. [SOURCE: Bouleneger]. |
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Woodslave, Croaking Lizard |
Honduras (Swan Islands), Jamaica, Cayman Islands |
SVL 8½cm (m), 6½cm (f) |
Barbour suggests that the Cayman Islands population was carried there by turtling schooners [1910]. His account stated that Jamaican natives had a peculiar fear of the “croaking lizard” and were afraid to bring one in. He described it as easy to find, commonly on rafters of old buildings, in wall crevices of disused sugar factories and in hollow trees. Barbour also noted that the skin on the neck and back are extremely delicate and easily torn, and the tail easily dropped. Scalation details: 0-3 enlarged postmentals; adult dorsal scalation conical, weakly tubercular, and heterogenous; asymmetrical adhesive plates adjacent to claw only on 1st digits; subdigital lamellae 9-13 on 4th finger, 10-14 on 4th toe. Coloration: adults either with grey dorsum and stippling of white granules which are most intense on the head, or row of 7-9 poorly-defined diamond markings from sacrum to snout which sometimes extend on to the tail. Reproduction: Barbour described the eggs as the same size as those of Ptychozoon species, being laid in the same way and in the same places. [SOURCE: Bauer & Russell, Barbour] |
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A. p. praesignis |
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Jamaica, Cayman Islands |
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A. p. nelsoni |
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Honduras (Swan Islands) |
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Can be distinguished from nominate subspecies by the following features: larger size, shorter snout, dorsal granules generally homogenous, small and flattened, dorsal pattern often less pronounced. |
Reyes' Caribbean Gecko |
Cuba |
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Described in 2009: see Reptile Database entry for details. |
"Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles: Aristelliger cochranae", J R Lynxwiler and J S Parmerlee, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 1993.
"Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles: Aristelliger praesignis", A M Bauer and A P Russell, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, 1993.
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