DAS ZWERGGECKO-FORUM

Hi Donald,

thank you for all your more detailed interesting explanations. By the way, I agree with you that this German web site really belongs to the best dwarf gecko sites I ever browsed. I visit this site quite often though my knowledge of German is also rather poor.

I do not know why, but I can’t open referred web site of Caribbean Journal of Science and read advice article about S. argus. What a pity !

It is really hard for me to imagine the situation how the strange Sphaerodactylus juvenile runs along my kitchen counter . How crazy! Yes, I can also see some of my captive bred Phelsumas testing the grip quality of wall surfaces in my room time to time, however, only if some terrarium sliding doors stayed open in error.

Donald, you state that your friend lives in Key West (lower Keys), which is probably the area where the Sphaeros can be observed most frequently as well as in the rest of Florida Keys. But what about the occurrence frequency of geckos in question on peninsular Florida, for instance, outskirts of Florida City or Miami?

Best regards,
Radim

Hey Radim,
I see what you mean by the website for the journal not working anymore, that is strange. I'll see what I can do about it. There are actually a few papers on the dwarf, and exotic geckos of the Keys, published in the same place. I am in contact with one of the authors, I'll se if he'll just send a copy to me. I think you guys would enjoy the other articles too.

I have no seen phelsuma in the wild yet. I can't wait to see some basking on a palm tree down there!

About the geckos being on the mainland...that is a hard question to answer. Historically, they have been present. Some species had a "sweeping" range up the coast, while others were found in just small pockets around (i.e. Opa Locka, ect...). Today, it is uncertain as to which species, if any, can still be found there. That might an area I research as a sequel to my inital paper. We will see. Wish I had more up to date info on this.

~Donald

Hi folks,

I have some papers (pdf) about Sphaerodactylus and other species from south/middle america. If you are interested in these papers please contact me.

Peter

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Ich halte hauptsächlich Sphaerodactylus und Gonatodes, aber auch einige Phelsumen und Anolis. Dazu kommen einige Arten Rosenkäfer und jede Menge Futtertierzuchten.

Hi Donald,

it is nice from you that you will try to contact the authors of mentioned, now inaccessible, short articles. Your effort is really highly appreciated and probably not only from my side!

As for Phelsumas I have read that Ph. madagascariensis, Ph. laticauda and Ph. guimbeaui were also introduced and later observed/collected on Hawaii years ago.

Thank you very much for your information concerning the current presence of Sphaeros in southernmost continental Florida. Maybe you will bring us a new interesting findings resulting from your intended surveys later. Looking forward to them all !

Regards,
Radim

Hi Peter,

if you could provide me your written materials about Sphaerodactylus (Gonatodes would be also welcome ), be sure, that I would be really interested in them and it would be also much appreciated. You should have already my e-mail address at disposal.

As for articles about Sphaeros I could probably get one offered material from Arizona. The brochure has name: “The Cuban Lizards of the Genus Sphaerodactylus” (1985) by Albert Schwartz and Orlando H. Garrido (69 pages, 4 distribution maps). However, I suppose that for you Peter, known specialist, this brochure would be no novelty.

Regards,
Radim

Radim, and everyone else,

Here are a few links I found on geckos in the Florida Keys

http://www.cnah.org/pdf_files/39.pdf Giant Day Gecko

http://www.naherpetology.org/pdf_files/420.pdf Gonatodes albogularis

http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:htt ... _28-36.pdf This is a cache of the old .pdf file. Unfortunately, the diagrams are missing in this version. Geckos of Florida.

http://academic.uprm.edu/publications/c ... 39-140.pdf S. argus in FL, 2002. This article is outdated, as S. argus has been found since then.

http://74.125.45.132/search?q=cache:htt ... 69-172.pdf S. argus in FL 2005 This article is the current status of this species. This is a cached version, so it is not as good as the original .pdf.

I hope you all enjoy,
~Donald

Hi Donald,

I really highly appreciate you readiness provide us all five promised articles as well as your promptness. I am looking forward to read them all through even now. It seems that your country is pretty reach in day geckos !

Radim

Radim,

Ya, we have a few species that now call "here" home. Hawaii has, as you mentioned, a few species of phelsuma established on the islands. As far as exotics go, you should see the burmese pythons that have invaded our Everglades. They are a nuisance species, growing to 10 feet in the first year, and I am certainly unhappy they are here, but it is SO cool to find a 12' (4 meters!), large bodied snake in the "wild". I'm waiting for the day I find an 18'+ specimen! Florida is a cradle for exotic reptiles and amphibians due to our climate. In the south, we stay warm enough for the tropical species to become established, but in central and north Florida, it cools down just a enough for the temperate species to call here home.

Best Regards,
~Donald