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Reptilia    Squamata (part-other lizards)    Sphaerodactylidae  
Ashy Gecko
Sphaerodactylus elegans MacLeay, 1834
SFEER-oh-DAK-til-us — EL-eh-ganz
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SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 Native to Cuba and Hispaniola. it was introduced via cargo during the 1920s and is established on Key West, Monroe County, Florida (Stejneger, 1922, Copeia 1922: 56) and has since been found throughout the Keys north to Miami-Dade and Broward counties (Wilson and Porras, 1983, University of Kansas Special Publication: 1–89; Alfonso and Krysko, 2019, Sphaerodactylus elegans. Pages 346–348 in Krysko et al. (Editors) Amphibians and Reptiles of Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, Florida). The English name Ashy Geckolet is used by Hedges et al. (2019, Caribbean Herpetology (67): 1–53). (Krysko, Kenneth and Travis W. Taggart. 2025. Established Exotic Species. Pages 64-87 in Kirsten E. Nicholson (Editor), Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, 9th Edition. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Lawrence, Kansas. 87 pp.)

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Open icons indicate questionable records, including those with coordinate uncertainty greater than 10,000 m (approximately 6 miles). Click a marker to view metadata.
Occurrences:; 1,448 Total; 1,262 Museum; 186 Other

The locality database contains 8,094,832 records, and geographic and taxonomic errors exist. Logged-in, registered users may report a potential issue directly from the marker popup.
Shaded range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH. (Version: 2024.07.03.10.57.23)
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Province/State Distribution:
United States: Florida

Taxonomic Etymology:
A tiny gecko Named for its graceful appearance.
Sphaerodactylus — From Greek sphaira (σφαῖρα), “sphere,” and daktylos (δάκτυλος), “finger.” The name means “spherical finger,” referring to the rounded toe tips of these small geckos.
elegans — From Latin elegans, “elegant,” “graceful,” or “refined.” Refers to the slender build or fine markings of the species.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Ashy Gecko (Sphaerodactylus cinereus: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.); Ashy Geckolet (Sphaerodactylus elegans: Hedges, S. Blair, Robert Powell, Robert W. Henderson, Sarah Hanson, and John C. Murphy. 2019. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology (67):1–53);


Selected References:
1834 MacLeay, William S. A few remarks tending to illustrate the natural history of two annulose genera, namely Urania of Fabricus and Mygale of Walekenien. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1834(2):9-12
1922 Stejneger, Leonhard H. Two geckos new to the fauna of the United States. Copeia 1922:56
1962 King, F. Wayne. Systematics of Lesser Antillean Lizards of the genus Sphaerodactylus. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum, Biological Sciences 7(1):1-52
1973 Schwartz, Albert. Sphaerodactylus.. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (142):1-2
1983 Wilson, Larry D. and Louis Porras. The ecological impact of man on the South Florida herpetofauna. University of Kansas Special Publication 9(9):1-89
2019 Hedges, S. Blair, Robert Powell, Robert W. Henderson, Sarah Hanson, and John C. Murphy. Definition of the Caribbean Islands biogeographic region, with checklist and recommendations for standardized common names of amphibians and reptiles. Caribbean Herpetology (67):1–53

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