A pedicle screw mounted retractor has a split tube body that has a central tube longitudinally split into two split halves, a first half portion and a second half portion. The split halves form a central working portal. Each half portion has a cylindrical retractor tube appended on a side along an external surface. Each cylindrical retractor tube has a flange with a post extending at or near a proximal end. The pair of cylindrical retractor tubes is configured to pass onto and over a tower or extended top threaded post of a pedicle screw prepositioned in a pair of vertebrae for retracting the vertebrae. The central working portal has at least a 20 mm diameter in a closed and abutted orientation of the first and second split halves. In one embodiment, the central working portal has a 22 mm diameter in the closed and abutted orientation.