Roatan least gecko
Sphaerodactylus leonardovaldesi
Where to see it
Leaf litter and under palm fronds, rocks and debris on Roatan, Barbareta and Isla Morat. Tiny and almost never noticed.
When
All year
Status
Not evaluated. Found nowhere else on Earth.
One of the smallest lizards on the island, with short pale stripes at the hips and scattered dark flecks. It hides in leaf litter and under palm fronds, rocks and debris on Roatan, Barbareta and Isla Morat, and was described as recently as 2012, named after the Honduran biologist Leonardo Valdes Orellana.
We have not found a single photograph of it that is free to publish, which says something about how rarely it is seen. Least geckos are among the smallest reptiles in the world, a few centimeters long as adults, and a species this size living in leaf litter can go decades between sightings. If you have a photo of one taken on Roatan, we would love to hear from you.