Aristelliger is a genus of Caribbean geckos in the family Sphaerodactylidae, commonly known as croaking geckos or Caribbean geckos. The nine named species in the genus are native to various islands in the West Indies, though the species A. georgeensis is also found on mainland Belize. Aristelliger species are nocturnal and mostly arboreal, occupying palm tree trunks and other vertical surfaces. They are among the largest neotropical geckos, with A. lar reaching up to 135 mm (5.3 inches) in snout-vent-length (not including the tail). They are primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of arthropods. Cannibalism of eggs and hatchlings has been reported in A. cochranae. A. lar is omnivorous, and may be an important seed disperser for fruits of the plant Marcgravia. Many species of Aristelliger are accustomed to living among human structures, though several are threatened by urban and agricultural development or invasive species.
Species List of speciesImageSpeciesTaxon authorCommon name(s)DistributionIUCN statusA. barbouri(Noble & Klingel, 1932)Noble GK, Klingel GC (1932). "The Reptiles of Great Inagua Island, British West Indies". American Museum Novitates (549): 1-25. (Aristelligella barbouri, new genus and species, pp. 4-11, Figures 1-5). Inagua croaking gecko, striped Caribbean geckoInagua (Bahamas)Data DeficientA. cochranaeGrant, 1931Cochran's Caribbean gecko, Navassa croaking geckoNavassa IslandLeast ConcernA. expectatusCochran, 1933Hispaniolan desert croaking geckoSouthwest Hispaniola and surrounding islandsLeast ConcernA. georgeensis(Bocourt, 1873)Saint George Island geckoCoastal Belize and surrounding islands, southernmost Quintana Roo (Mexico), Swan Islands (Honduras), Providencia and San Andrés (Colombia)Least ConcernA. hechtiSchwartz & Crombie, 1975Caicos croaking geckoNorth Caicos, East Caicos, various nearby cays (Turks and Caicos Islands)VulnerableA. larCope, 1862Hispaniolan giant croaking gecko, spotted Caribbean geckoHispaniola and surrounding islandsNear ThreatenedA. nelsoni(Barbour, 1914)Swan Islands croaking geckoSwan Islands (Honduras)EndangeredA. praesignis(Hallowell, 1856)Croaking lizard, woodslave, Jamaican croaking geckoJamaica and the Cayman IslandsLeast ConcernA. reyesiDíaz & Hedges, 2009Reyes' Caribbean gecko, Cuban croaking geckoPenínsula de Hicacos (Cuba)Critically Endangered
Nota bene: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Aristelliger.
References
Further reading Cope ED (1862). "On the Genera Panoplus, Centropyx, Aristelliger and Sphærodactylus ". Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 13: 494–500. (Aristelliger, new genus, pp. 496–497).