| Puerto Rico Upland gecko | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Subphylum: | Vertebrata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Sauria |
| Family: | Gekkonidae |
| Genus: | Sphaerodactylus |
| Species: | S. klauberi[1] |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphaerodactylus klauberi Grant, 1931[2] |
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The Puerto Rico Upland gecko (Sphaerodactylus klauberi), is a species of gecko endemic to the archipelago of Puerto Rico. The epithet or specific name, klauberi, is in honor of herpetologist Laurence Monroe Klauber.[3]
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The Puerto Rico Upland Gecko is one of the larger-sized gecko species. It typically measures 5.7 inches (14.5 centimeters) snout to vent. Its colorings consist of a dark-brown upper body with darker-brown or black spots which become larger on the tail. The underbody is usually orange or reddish-pink with a gray throat that may have dark mottled areas. [4]
Like all Sphaerodactylus, the Upland Gecko is voiceless. The female lays one hard-shelled egg that can be as large as her head. The egg’s incubation lasts 2 to 3 months. The Upland Gecko is an insectivore. It is mostly active at night. [5]
Upland gecko specimens have been collected between 160 ft (50 m) and 3600 ft (1097 m) in elevation. They can sometimes be seen on the ground or on low branches in the Tabonuco, Colorado, and Palma Sierra sections of the Caribbean National Rain Forest. [6]
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