Matoatoa brevipes (MOCQUARD, 1900)
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Matoatoa brevipes?
Matoatoa brevipes
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Phyllodactylus brevipes MOCQUARD 1900: 346 Phyllodactylus porphyreus brevipes — KLUGE 1993 Phyllodactylus brevipes — GLAW & VENCES 1994: 264 Matoatoa brevipes — NUSSBAUM, RAXWORTHY & PRONK 1998: 2 Matoatoa brevipes — HEINICKE et al. 2014 |
| Distribution | Madagascar (Toliara) Type locality: Ambolisatra, Madagascar [probably today’s Ambolisaka, 10 km SE of Morombe, Toliara Province]. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MNHN-RA 1899.0341 (specimen damaged by fire) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (genus): Phyllodactyle gekkonines that have second ceratobranchials; fused nasals bones; pre cloacal pores in males; rugose or ornamented snout bones (premaxillae, maxillae, nasals, prefrontals, anterior frontal) strongly adhering to overlying skin; smooth postorbital skull bones not strongly adherent to overlying skin; homogeneous, flattened, smooth body scales arranged in parallel transverse rings; nonimbricate ventral scales; adhesive tail tip in which scansorial scales are not differentiated into distinct ventral pad, but rather consist of pilose scales of-normal size and shape that nearly or completely encircle tail tip. |
| Comment | Synonym: Listed as synonym of Phyllodactylus porphyreus porphyreus by WERMUTH 1965 (who cites ANGEL 1942 and GUIBÉ 1956 as sources). Type Species: Phyllodactylus brevipes MOCQUARD 1900 is the type species of the genus Matoatoa NUSSBAUM, RAXWORTHY & PRONK 1998. Habitat: dry, open, spiny forests, generally on sandy coastal soils. Also in more mesic, denser forests near boies of water. Often found inside hollow, dead branches of standing trees. |
| Etymology | Named after Latin “brevis, -e” = short and “pes, pedis” = foot. The genus was named after the Malagasy word “matoatoa” meaning ghost, in reference to the elusive, mysterious, and secretive nature of the two species. |
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