Aristelliger lar explained

Aristelliger lar, also known commonly as the Hispaniolan giant gecko and the spotted Caribbean gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Sphaerodactylidae. The species is endemic to the island of Hispaniola.

Etymology

The specific name, lar, refers to a Lar, an ancient Roman household god.^[1]

Geographic range

A. lar is found in disjunct populations on Hispaniola, in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.^[2]

Habitat

The preferred natural habitat of A. lar is forest, but is also found in man-made stuctures in or near forest, such as houses and hotels.

Description

A. lar attains a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of about 13cm (05inches).^[3]

Reproduction

A. lar is oviparous.

Further reading

• Bauer AM, Russell AP (1993). "Aristelliger lar ". Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (570): 1–3.
• Cope ED (1862). "On the Genera Panolopus, Centropyx, Aristelliger and Sphærodactylus ". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 13: 494–500. (Aristelliger lar, new species, p. 497).
• Hecht MK (1951). "Fossil Lizards of the West Indian Genus Aristelliger (Gekkonidae)". American Museum Novitates (1538): 1–33. (Aristelliger titan, new species).
• Schwartz A, Henderson RW (1991). Amphibians and Reptiles of the West Indies: Descriptions, Distributions, and Natural History. Gainesville, Florida: University of Florida Press. 720 pp. . (Aristelliger lar, p. 363).

Notes and References

1. [species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]
2. [Albert Schwartz (zoologist)|Schwartz A]
3. [George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger GA]