BREVIORA Mniseiuim of Cooiparative Zoology Cambridge, Mass. Xovkmber 4, 196() Number 253 A NEW lilSPANlOLAX GECKO By Richard Thomas 10,000 S.W. S4th St., :Miami, Florida 33143 Recent eollectiiip-in Haiti yielded a single specimen of an un-described species of Sphaerodavtylus from the western part of the IMassif de la Ilotte on the Tiburoii Peninsula. I Avish to ex-press my appreciation to Dr. Albert Schwartz, who sponsored my collecting' in Haiti (February to April of 1966), Avhich re-sulted in the discovery of this new species. The abbreviation MCZ denotes the ]Museum of Comparative Zoology, and ASFS denotes the Albert Schwartz Field Series. In reference to its most salient distinguishing character, this new gecko may be known as Sphaerodactylus elasmorhynchus ^ new species Holotijpc: MCZ 81119, a female, taken ca. 5 km (airline) SSE ^larche Leon, Dept. du Sud, Haiti, at an elevation of 2600 feet (790 meters), on 15 ^larcli 1!)()6 by Richard Thomas. Original number ASFS V935;3. Diagnosis: A species of Sphacrodactylus distinguished by: 1) much enlarged supranasals and postnasals-which abut against the rostral and labials to form a continuous, platelike covering over most of the snout; 2) a finely granular dorsal scalation ; 3) large, smooth, imbricate ventral scales; and 4) a dorsal colora-tion of small orange ocelli on a dark brown ground color. The first character distinguished clasmorhynchiis from all other luKJwn species of Sphaerodactylus. Description of holotypc (Fig. 1) : Snout-vent length 17 mm; tail (unregenerated) 17 mm. Rostral with a median crease; post-nasals enlarged, roughly trapezoidal with bases towards antei'ior 1 l"iiiiii the (iifck. cUtxiiujx. plate, anil rhijncliox, snout. -.Mt'iKingh I cnuld not see a definite nasal scale, even under high nuigniliea-titui. I have called the large scale behind the nnris the postnasal because of its position (see Sniitli. l"J4t>, tig. '11).
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