Phelsuma gouldi CROTTINI, GEHRING, GLAW, HARRIS, LIMA & VENCES, 2011
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Phelsuma gouldi
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Phelsuma gouldi CROTTINI, GEHRING, GLAW, HARRIS, LIMA & VENCES 2011 Phelsuma gouldi — GLAW & RÖSLER 2015 |
| Distribution | SC Madagascar (Fianarantsoa) Type locality: Anja Reserve, 13 km south of Ambalavao 21°51'2.64'' S, 46°50'33.80'' E, 949 m elevation, Haute Matsiatra Region, Fianarantsoa province, southern central Madagascar |
| Reproduction | oviparous (manual and phylogenetic imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: ZSM 804/2010 (ZCMV 13056), adult female, collected on 9th December 2009 by Angelica Crottini, D. James Harris, Iker A. Irisarri, Alexandra Lima, Solohery Rasamison and Emile Rajeriarison. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A presumably medium-sized, greyish-brown Phelsuma (SVL 45.1 mm, TL 81.5 mm) with an irregular pattern of brown to black lines and spots (Fig. 2). It differs from all other Phelsuma species, except for P. borai, P. mutabilis, P. breviceps, P. standingi, and P. masohoala Raxworthy & Nussbaum by its cryptic life colouration without traces of green. Phelsuma gouldi differs from P. standingi by its smaller total length (TL 81 mm vs. up to 279 mm), number of supralabials (7/6 vs. 9–12), number of infralabials (6 vs. 7–8) and shows a distinct life colouration (brown-greyish dorsal colouration with irregular blackish stripes and dots vs. grey or bluish-green with dark reticulation and with greenish head and bluish tail). It differs from P. masohoala by the number of supralabials (7/6 vs. 8–9), number of infralabials (6 vs. 7), smooth dorsal scales on body and tail vs. keeled dorsal scales, a distinct life colouration (brown-greyish dorsal colouration with irregular blackish stripes and dots vs. a white and black pigmentation), and by a single V-shaped chevron along the lower suture of infralabials vs. up to three V-shaped chevrons on the throat. Phelsuma gouldi differs from P. breviceps by a slender snout vs. a very stout snout, by the number of transversely enlarged subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe of left/right foot (7/9 vs. 11/10), by the presence of a single V- shaped chevron along the lower suture of infralabials vs. absence, and by a set of throat scalation characteristics (for comparison see Fig. 3 of this study and Fig. 3 in Glaw et al. 2009): a triangular-shaped mental in P. gouldi (vs. a bell-shaped mental in P. breviceps), two postmental scales (vs. one postmental scale), four rows of enlarged post- mentals (vs. one), the minimum number of scales needed to connect the suture between the second and third infral- abial from the left to the right is 10 in P. gouldi vs. 14 in P. breviceps. The most similar species to P. gouldi are P. borai and P. mutabilis. Phelsuma gouldi differs from P. borai by a lower number of transversely enlarged subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe (7/9 vs. -/11), a lower number of supralabials (7/6 vs. 10/9), one internasal scale (vs. three), the absence of a distinct concave groove between the nasals (vs. presence), by the presence of a V-shaped chevron along the lower suture of infralabials (vs. absence), and by a different configuration of the throat scalation (see Fig. 3, comparison A with C): two postmental scales bordering the mental scale for about one-third in P. gouldi vs. two postmental scales border about one half of the mental scale in P. borai, the minimum number of scales needed to connect the suture between the second and third infralabial from the left to the right is 10 vs. 5, presence of 4 rows of enlarged postmentals vs. 5, and by a horizon- tally divided third infralabial vs. undivided. Phelsuma gouldi differs from the P. mutabilis specimens examined in Glaw et al. (2009) comprising thirteen specimens from Toliara (ZSM 945/2003, ZSM 948/2003), Toliara-Arboretum (ZSM 587/2000, ZSM 588/2000), Ampanihy-Tranoroa (ZSM 186/2004), unknown localities (MNHN 1895.152, MNHN 1895.154), Androy Nord (MNHN 1901.150, MNHN 1901.151) and Menabe (SMF 9470-9473) by a lower number of transversely enlarged subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe (7/9 vs. min. 9/10 to max. 11/ 11) and by a different configuration of the throat scalation (see Fig. 3, comparison A with B): triangular-shaped mental scale vs. bell-shaped, the minimum number of scales needed to connect the suture between the second and third infralabial from the left to the right is 10 in P. gouldi vs. 5 in P. mutabilis, 4 rows of enlarged postmentals vs. 3 rows, and by a horizontally divided third infralabial vs. undivided. Furthermore, P. gouldi differs from P. mutabilis, P. borai, and P. breviceps, and all other Phelsuma species for which molecular data are available, by a substantial genetic differentiation (see Fig. 4) [from CROTTINI et al. 2011]. |
| Comment | Abundance: only known from the type specimen (Meiri et al. 2017). |
| Etymology | Named in honour of Stephen Jay Gould, a paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, historian of science and supreme writer of popular science who also provided invaluable contributions to the public appreciation of natural history and of science in general. |
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