Madascincus irery MIRALLES, SCHERZ, ROBERTS, RAKOTOARISON, GLAW & VENCES, 2026
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Madascincus irery
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| Higher Taxa | Scincidae, Scincinae, Scincoidea, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E:- Not given |
| Synonym | Madascincus irery MIRALLES, SCHERZ, ROBERTS, RAKOTOARISON, GLAW & VENCES 2026 |
| Distribution | Madagascar (Nosy Be: Lokobe National Park) Type locality: MADAGASCAR, Diana Region; Nosy Be, Lokobe National Park; 13°24’29”S, 48°18’31”E; ca. 210 m a. s. l.; 28 Apr. 2019, ca. 12: 00 a. m.; |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. ZSM 135 / 2019 (FGZC 5612), unsexed specimen, collected by M. D. Scherz, F. Glaw, A. Razafimanantsoa and J. H. Razafindraibe leg.; Paratype. ZSM 86 / 2015, unsexed specimen, MADAGASCAR – Diana Region; Nosy Be, Lokobe National Park; 13°24’31”S, 48°20’8”E; ca. 90 m a. s. l.; 18 Feb. 2015; “ Frontier Madagascar ” team leg. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Madascincus irery sp. nov. differs from all other species in the genus Madascincus (except those of the nanus group) by a lower number of ventral scales (55, versus 56 to 88), a short and pointed snout with visibly enlarged eyes and a dark and uniform coloration (versus lighter coloration, most often with dark lateral stripes variable in contrast and length). Additionaly, it differs from the species of the nanus group by a higher number of scales around midbody (24, versus 18 to 20), and more elongated digits, with both a higher number of subdigital lamellae under the fourth finger (8, versus 3 to 5) and the fourth toe (12 to 15, versus 5 to 8). It differs from the species of the polleni group (its sister clade, formed by M. polleni, M. arenicola, M. stumpffi and M. miafina) by a distinctly lower number of ventral scales (55, versus 65 to 88) and of paravertebral scales (53 to 56, versus 65 to 88), a smaller size (33.8 to 39.9 mm, versus 54.9 to 89.6 mm), an hourglass-shaped frontal, i. e., constricted by the first pair of supraocular (versus always bell-shaped in all species except in M. stumpffi, where this state of character is variable), and a lower number of subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe (12 to 15, versus 15 to 23). (Miralles et al. 2026) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. However, these details, e.g. detailed descriptions (about less than half a page) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. |
| Comment | Distribution: see map in Miralles et al. 2026: Fig. 12. |
| Etymology | The specific epithet irery, invariable noun in apposition, is derived from the Malagasy language, and means “ alone ” or “ solitary ”. It refers both to the assumption that this species seems to be isolated on the small island of Nosy Be and the fact that it represents a distinct long phylogenetic branch. |
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