Critically Endangered
Cochran's least gecko
Sphaerodactylus cochranae
Cochran's least gecko is a dwarf gecko in the family Sphaerodactylidae — Sphaerodactylus cochranae, recorded as Critically Endangered.
Appearance
Cochran's least gecko is a small gecko, with adult males reaching a maximum snout-vent length (SVL) of 30 mm and females up to 28 mm. The species is characterized by its distinctive dorsal scales, that are large, acute, strongly keeled, and imbricate, numbering 20–23 from axilla to groin. The dorsal coloration is not sexually dichromatic, featuring a yellowish-brown to tan ground color with three dark-brown to black longitudinal stripes extending onto the tail.
Range and habitat
Cochran's least gecko is exclusively found in the karstic Los Haitises region south of the Bahía de Samaná, thriving in mesic environments closely associated with bromeliads. Its habitat is characterized by steep mogotes (karstic hilltops) that have remained largely undisturbed by human activity, that is crucial for the survival of this gecko. The species' range is highly restricted, covering less than 71 km2 (27 sq mi).
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
In crisis
Listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, S. Cochranae faces significant threats from habitat loss due to agricultural expansion.
Cochran's least gecko is Critically Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Cochran's least gecko, Wikidata item Q3493115. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
