Uroplatus fetsy RATSOAVINA, SCHERZ, TOLLEY, RASELIMANANA, GLAW & VENCES, 2019
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Uroplatus fetsy
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Uroplatus fetsy RATSOAVINA, SCHERZ, TOLLEY, RASELIMANANA, GLAW & VENCES 2019 Uroplatus sp. — BÖHME & HENKEL 1995: 17 (Fig. 9,10) Uroplatus ebenaui [Ca5] — RATSOAVINA et al. 2013 |
| Distribution | N Madagascar (Ankarana National Park forest) Type locality: near Mahamasina in the Ankarana National Park forest, Région Diana, northern Madagascar with the GPS coordinates 12.9683°S, 49.1392°E, ca. 100 m a.s.l. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. ZSM 288/2004 (field number FGZC 0552), an adult female collected in the evening of 25 February 2004, by F. Glaw, M. Puente, and R. Randrianiaina. Paratype. UADBA-R 70849 (field number MSZC 0577), an adult female collected along the road in the Anka- rana National Park forest, Région Diana, northern Madagascar with the GPS coordinates 12.96217°S, 049.13316°E, 133 m a.s.l. at 21h52 on 10 January 2018, by M.D. Scherz, J.H. Razafindraibe, and A. Razafimanantsoa. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Uroplatus fetsy sp. nov. is assigned to the Uroplatus ebenaui group based on its relatively small size, leaf-like, laterally-compressed body shape, short tail, and triangular head with supraocular spines. The new species is characterized by the following unique combination of characters: (1) adult female body size of 55.2–56.1 mm (n = 2), (2) short (TAL/SVL 0.40–0.41) fairly slender (TAW/SVL 0.15–0.27) tail, (3) oral mucosa black on the roof of the mouth and base of the tongue and reddish laterally with a pink tongue, and (4) relatively smooth skin with few spines. Additionally, it is distinguished by uncorrected pairwise distances of >18% in the 16S gene to all other nominal and candidate new species of Uroplatus. By its leaf-like overall appearance and short tail, the species can easily be distinguished from all members of the U. fimbriatus species group, from U. lineatus, and from the phenetic U. alluaudi species group. Within the U. ebenaui species group, U. fetsy sp. nov. may be distinguished from U. finaritra and U. malama by much smaller body size (SVL 55.2–56.1 mm vs. 77.5–95.3 mm); from U. malama, U. phantasticus, U. finiavana, and U. finaritra by shorter tail (TAL/SVL 0.40–0.41 vs. 0.48–0.76); from U. fiera, U. fotsivava and U. finiavana by the color of the oral mucosa (black and red components vs. pale pinkish all over); From U. finaritra by the presence of black in the oral mucosa (vs. dark red all over); from U. fotsivava, U. ebenaui, and U. finiavana by the possession of fewer spines on the limbs and on the back of the head; From U. kelirambo by more rounded tail edges (vs. strongly spear- shaped); and from U. ebenaui, its putative closest relative, by a differently colored oral mucosa (black on the roof of the mouth and base of the tongue and reddish laterally vs. black all over except the pink tongue; Fig. 5). The new species might differ from U. ebenaui by a slightly longer tail, despite overlapping values of relative tail length (TAL/SVL 0.40–0.41 vs. 0.22–0.40). |
| Comment | Synonymy: Bloxam & Barlow (1987) and Hawkins et al. (1990) probably referred to this species too. |
| Etymology | Fetsy is a Malagasy word meaning ‘sly’, in reference to the rarity with which this species is encountered, evading researchers for a long time despite the substantial number of research expeditions conducted in Ankarana National Park, as well as its sly ‘smile’. The species epithet is used as an invariable noun in apposition. |
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