Smallest lizard
- Who
- Sphaerodactylus parthenopion, Sphaerodactylus ariasae
- What
- 16 millimetre(s)
- Where
- Virgin Islands (British)
- When
- 01 January 0001
The title of smallest lizard is held by both Sphaerodactylus parthenopion and Sphaerodactylus ariasae which have both been recorded as having an average snout-to-vent length of only 16 mm (0.6 in). They both share the distinction of being the smallest of the approximately 23,000 species of amniote vertebrates.
Sphaerodactylus ariasae was discovered in 2001 on the island of Beata, West Indies by researchers Blair Hedges (Pennsylvania State University) and Richard Thomas (University of Puerto Rico).