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Sphaerodactylus ariasae, the Jaragua Sphaero or dwarf gecko, is a very small Gekkonidae species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 in the Sphaerodactylus
Sphaerodactylus

Sphaerodactylus is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other gekkoninae by their small size and round, rather than vertical eye pupils and each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, from which their name is derived....
 genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
. It is one of the world's two smallest known reptiles
Smallest organism

The smallest organism found on Earth can be measured using a variety of different methods, and can be defined as the smallest by volume, mass, height, or length....
 (the other is the S. parthenopion, native to the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands is a British overseas territory, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands, the remaining islands constituting the United States Virgin Islands....
). The Jaragua Sphaero measures 16-18 mm from the snout to the base of the tail and can fit on a quarter. Its range
Range (biology)

In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density....
 is believed to be limited to Jaragua National Park
Jaragua National Park

Jaragua National Park is a national park of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park is located in Pedernales in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic....
 in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are List of divided islands, Saint Martin being the other....
 and the nearby forested Beata Island
Beata Island

Beata Island is a small island on the Caribbean Sea, located 7 km southwest from cape Beata, the southernmost point of the island Hispaniola. Some 12 km SW of it lies the smaller Alto Velo Island....
 (Isla Beata).

The species was first described by Blair Hedges, a Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Land-grant university, space grant college public research university located in State College, PA, Pennsylvania, United States....
 evolutionary biologist
Evolutionary biology

Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology concerned with the origin of species from a common descent and descent of species, as well as their evolution, multiplication and diversity over time....
, and Richard Thomas, a University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico

Founded in 1903, the University of Puerto Rico is the oldest and largest university system in Puerto Rico. Though Puerto Rico is not a U.S. state, the system is run much like a state university system and its programs have been School accreditation by Nationally recognized accrediting agencies in the United States....
 biologist, in the December 2001 issue of the Caribbean Journal of Science
Caribbean Journal of Science

The Caribbean Journal of Science is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing articles, research notes, and book reviews related to science in the Caribbean, with an emphasis on botany, zoology, ecology, conservation biology, geology, archaeology, and paleontology....
.

The Jaragua Sphaero's binomial name was in honor of herpetologist
Herpetology

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and of reptiles .Herpetology is concerned with poikilothermic, or ectothermic, tetrapods....
 Yvonne Arias, the leader of the Dominican conservation organization Grupo Jaragua, which was instrumental in securing the environmental protection of Jaragua National Park
Jaragua National Park

Jaragua National Park is a national park of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park is located in Pedernales in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic....
.








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Sphaerodactylus ariasae, the Jaragua Sphaero or dwarf gecko, is a very small Gekkonidae species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 in the Sphaerodactylus
Sphaerodactylus

Sphaerodactylus is a genus of geckos from the Americas that are distinguished from other gekkoninae by their small size and round, rather than vertical eye pupils and each digit terminating in a single, round adhesive pad or scale, from which their name is derived....
 genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
. It is one of the world's two smallest known reptiles
Smallest organism

The smallest organism found on Earth can be measured using a variety of different methods, and can be defined as the smallest by volume, mass, height, or length....
 (the other is the S. parthenopion, native to the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands is a British overseas territory, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands, the remaining islands constituting the United States Virgin Islands....
). The Jaragua Sphaero measures 16-18 mm from the snout to the base of the tail and can fit on a quarter. Its range
Range (biology)

In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density....
 is believed to be limited to Jaragua National Park
Jaragua National Park

Jaragua National Park is a national park of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park is located in Pedernales in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic....
 in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are List of divided islands, Saint Martin being the other....
 and the nearby forested Beata Island
Beata Island

Beata Island is a small island on the Caribbean Sea, located 7 km southwest from cape Beata, the southernmost point of the island Hispaniola. Some 12 km SW of it lies the smaller Alto Velo Island....
 (Isla Beata).

The species was first described by Blair Hedges, a Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University

The Pennsylvania State University is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Land-grant university, space grant college public research university located in State College, PA, Pennsylvania, United States....
 evolutionary biologist
Evolutionary biology

Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology concerned with the origin of species from a common descent and descent of species, as well as their evolution, multiplication and diversity over time....
, and Richard Thomas, a University of Puerto Rico
University of Puerto Rico

Founded in 1903, the University of Puerto Rico is the oldest and largest university system in Puerto Rico. Though Puerto Rico is not a U.S. state, the system is run much like a state university system and its programs have been School accreditation by Nationally recognized accrediting agencies in the United States....
 biologist, in the December 2001 issue of the Caribbean Journal of Science
Caribbean Journal of Science

The Caribbean Journal of Science is a peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing articles, research notes, and book reviews related to science in the Caribbean, with an emphasis on botany, zoology, ecology, conservation biology, geology, archaeology, and paleontology....
.

The Jaragua Sphaero's binomial name was in honor of herpetologist
Herpetology

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and of reptiles .Herpetology is concerned with poikilothermic, or ectothermic, tetrapods....
 Yvonne Arias, the leader of the Dominican conservation organization Grupo Jaragua, which was instrumental in securing the environmental protection of Jaragua National Park
Jaragua National Park

Jaragua National Park is a national park of the Dominican Republic. Jaragua National Park is located in Pedernales in the extreme southwest of the Dominican Republic....
.

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