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Reef Gecko
Sphaerodactylus notatus
The 'Reef Gecko'. The only sphaerodactyl native to the United States (Florida). Elegant, striped, and microscopic, it inhabits not only humid forests but also coastal areas. Very difficult to breed due to extreme thermal and dehydrative susceptibility.
Class:Squamata
Order:Squamata
Family:Sphaerodactylidae
Genus:Sphaerodactylus
Species:Sphaerodactylus notatus
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Environment
Terrestrial
Humidity
70 - 80 %
Day temperature
24 - 28 °C
Night temperature
22 - 24 °C
Adult size
3.4 cm
UVB
Low
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: The Reef Gecko is native to the Caribbean (including Cuba and the Bahamas) and southern Florida (Keys and southern mainland). It is the only sphaerodactylid gecko native to the United States. It inhabits coastal pineland, hammock forests, sandy dunes, and suburban yards, often hiding under rocks, logs, coconut husks, and leaf litter where moisture is retained.
Taxonomy and Genetics: Belonging to the family Sphaerodactylidae and genus Sphaerodactylus. The species has several recognized subspecies, including Sphaerodactylus notatus notatus (Florida reef gecko). Their genetic lineage is adapted to coastal and island ecosystems, showing high resilience to salinity.
Behavior and Habits: Primarily crepuscular or diurnal, active during daylight hours under the cover of leaf litter. They are extremely fast and shy, darting away at the slightest disturbance. Unlike many other geckos, they do not climb smooth vertical surfaces easily and prefer terrestrial foraging.
Morphology: One of the smallest lizards in North America, reaching an adult size of about 5 cm (2 inches). The body is brownish with darker spots. Females often exhibit three longitudinal dark stripes on the head. They have large scales on the back and lack expanded toe pads.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Terrarium Setup: A small naturalistic enclosure (20 to 30 liters, e.g., 30x30x30 cm) is sufficient. Use a damp bioactive substrate composed of soil, peat, and orchid bark, topped with a thick layer of leaf litter (oak or sea grape leaves) and cork bark pieces to provide essential hiding spots.
Lighting and Heating: Maintain an ambient temperature of 24-28°C (75-82°F) with a mild basking zone of 30°C (86°F) using a low-wattage heat source. Nighttime temperatures can drop to 20-22°C (68-72°F). Provide low-intensity UVB lighting (2-5% output) to assist with Vitamin D3 synthesis.
Humidity and Hydration: Maintain high humidity levels between 70% and 90%. Daily misting of the enclosure is required to allow the geckos to drink water droplets from leaves and maintain hydration, as they dry out rapidly in arid conditions.
Feeding and Supplementation: Strictly insectivorous. Feed small insects like springtails, isopods, flightless fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), and pinhead crickets. Dust all prey insects with a high-quality calcium and multivitamin powder containing Vitamin D3 twice a week.
Compatibility: Can be housed individually or in male-female pairs. Never house multiple males together, as they will fight. Due to their extremely small size and delicate skin, they should be treated strictly as display animals and never handled.
Health and Common Diseases: Dehydration is the most immediate threat and can be fatal within hours. Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) can occur if calcium supplementation and UVB lighting are inadequate. Ensure humidity is constant to prevent shed retention on the toes.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The Reef Gecko is native to the Caribbean (including Cuba and the Bahamas) and southern Florida (Keys and southern mainland). It is the only sphaerodactylid gecko native to the United States. It inhabits coastal pineland, hammock forests, sandy dunes, and suburban yards, often hiding under rocks, logs, coconut husks, and leaf litter where moisture is retained.
Origin
Tropical oceans and reefsCentral America and CaribbeanNorth America
Reptile profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- 3.4 cm
- Lifestyle/Microhabitat
- No verified data available
- Activity cycle
- No verified data available
- Sociality
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Handling tolerance
- No verified data available
- Brumation
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
The catalog's scalar value is 3.4 cm. The ReptTraits v1.2 source reports a maximum adult measurement of 3.4 cm for this species, recorded as snout–vent length (SVL). These figures are not interchangeable: the first is the profile's editorial reference, whereas the second is a published maximum under a specific measurement convention; differences among sources can reflect sex, population, life stage and measuring method.
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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