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We describe a large new species of leaf-tailed gecko endemic to northern Madagascar. Uroplatus garamaso sp. n. is the sister species of U. henkeli but differs by a genetic divergence > 8% in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, by the absence of haplotype sharing in four nuclear-encoded genes analyzed, a smaller body size, slightly narrower tail, a more pronounced yellowish/reddish iris colour in most individuals, and lack of black pigmentation on the tip of the tongue. The new species also appears to consistently differ from U. henkeli in genital morphology, with the apex of the hemipenis ending in two terminal elements consisting of 4-5 rotulae and longitudinal rows of calyces (versus an apex with irregularly distributed calyces and ending in two symmetrical structures consisting of two broader serrated fleshy elements in U. henkeli). We genetically confirm the occurrence of U. henkeli over a rather wide area, ranging from Tsingy de Bemaraha in the West to Nosy Be in the Sambirano region of northern Madagascar. Both, U. henkeli and the new species contain several deep mitochondrial lineages that are considered as conspecific due to extensive haplotype sharing and lack of obvious morphological differences among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the new gecko species Paroedura neglecta sp. n. from the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park in western Madagascar, belonging to the P. bastardi/tanjaka clade. The species in this clade are characterized by three light dorsal crossbands on the dorsum of juveniles and subadults whereas all other Paroedura species have four such bands. The new species differs from all species in the P. bastardi complex in having the nostril in contact with the rostral scale. It is most similar to the sympatric P. tanjaka, from which it differs by the presence of prominent dorsal tubercles arranged in regular longitudinal rows (versus rather irregular rows of dorsal tubercles), smaller size, details of the dorsal colour pattern and strong genetic divergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new species of arboreal narrow-mouthed frog, genus Platypelis, from Ambodivoangy near Maroantsetra in northeastern Madagascar. The new species, Platypelis ando sp. nov., is characterised by small body size (under 19 mm), a generally rather slender body, yellowish finger and toe tips, and a dark brown dorsal chevron. Its advertisement call is a single, moderately long, high-pitched whistle repeated at regular intervals. It is the sister species of P. ravus from Marojejy National Park, but differs from that species by considerable pairwise genetic distances (7.9%) in a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, and also in bioacoustic and morphological features, especially the absence of yellow on the posterior abdomen. It is also surprisingly similar in external appearance to Cophyla occultans and C. maharipeo, to which it is not, however, closely related; these species are most easily discerned based on their calls. Platypelis ando sp. nov. joins the ranks of several species recently described from Ambodivoangy with close affiliations to species in the nearby Marojejy National Park, that are still divergent at species level. The species qualifies as Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List criteria, in line with other species recently assessed from this area, but we urge that more research be conducted in the nearby forests to extend the range of this and other species known only from Ambodivoangy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the taxonomic status of two Malagasy leaf chameleon taxa, Brookesia antakarana Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1995 and B. ambreensis Raxworthy & Nussbaum, 1995, integrating morphological and genetic evidence. Specimens assigned to these species occur in syntopy in Montagne d'Ambre, northern Madagascar, and were originally described based on differences in the shape of their pelvic shields. We found that the shape of these shields falls on a continuous spectrum, and detected only weak differences between the two taxa in a few other morphological features, all of which were correlated with shield length. Members of the two taxa (as assigned based on pelvic shield morphology) also showed extensive haplotype sharing in one nuclear and one mitochondrial marker. We conclude that at present there is no convincing evidence that these species are distinct, and act as first revisers in the sense of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature to place B. ambreensis into the synonymy of B. antakarana [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on recent discoveries and an integrative study including external morphology, osteology and molecular genetics, we continue to revise the Madagascar-endemic chameleons of the Calumma boettgeri complex (within the Calumma nasutum species group). We describe three new species of these small-sized, occipital-lobed chameleons. Calumma uetzi sp. nov. is a species from the Sorata and Marojejy massifs (northern Madagascar), with a spectacular display coloration in males, clearly notched occipital lobes, and females with a dorsal crest. Calumma lefona sp. nov. is described based on a male specimen from Tsaratanana (northern Madagascar), with widely notched occipital lobes, a long and pointed rostral appendage, a dorsal crest, and a frontoparietal fenestra in the skull roof. This last character also occurs in six other Calumma species, and its presence and width are correlated with the elevational distribution of the species. Calumma juliae sp. nov. is known only from a small, isolated forest fragment near Moramanga in eastern Madagascar, and only females have been found so far. It is a relatively large member of the C. nasutum group, with a distinct dorsal crest and numerous infralabial scales. Two of the new species are known exclusively from their type localities, and we recommend protection of the habitats of all three as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frogs assigned to the monotypic genus Madecassophryne (Anura, Microhylidae, Cophylinae), and possibly belonging to Madecassophryne truebae, were found in December 2016 in two low-altitude localities, Ambahavala and Kapilavato, in the Anosy Mountain in southeastern Madagascar. This poorly known genus was described in 1974 based on osteology, and neither verifiably identified photos of living specimens nor molecular information were available until now. We here update the available information on these enigmatic frogs and provide new data on morphology, osteology, bioacoustics and observations on their habitat, together with a preliminary molecular phylogenetic study, suggesting that Madecassophryne is highly divergent from other members of the cophyline clade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Stumpffia Boettger, 1881 currently contains 15 named, small to miniaturized frog species, classified in the endemic Malagasy subfamily Cophylinae of the family Microhylidae. Stumpffia are terrestrial frogs with a largely unknown biology, probably due to their small size and secretive habits. Previous studies have suggested a large proportion of undescribed diversity in the genus. We revise the genus on the basis of a combination of molecular, bioacoustic, and morphological data and describe 26 new species that are all genetically divergent, almost all of them with high pairwise genetic divergences > 4% p-distance in a segment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene and concordant differentiation in a segment of the nuclear Rag-1 gene. The majority of the new species can also be distinguished by the structure of their advertisement calls (where bioacoustic data are available), and in most comparisons the species can also be distinguished morphologically. Furthermore, a molecular phylogeny reconstructed from DNA sequences of one nuclear and four mitochondrial gene segments revealed that in many cases, morphologically similar species are not each other's closest relatives, thus confirming their identity as independent evolutionary lineages and revealing repeated phenotypic divergence and convergence among and within clades. The phylogeny distinguishes four main clades in the genus: Clade A containing 17 species (Stumpffia be, S. hara, S. megsoni, S. staffordi, S. psologlossa, S. analamaina, S. gimmeli, S. madagascariensis, S. pygmaea, S. angeluci sp. nov., S. huwei sp. nov., S. iharana sp. nov., S. larinki sp. nov., S. maledicta sp. nov., S. mamitika sp. nov., S. sorata sp. nov., and S. yanniki sp. nov.) mostly from northern and northwestern Madagascar, generally characterized by limited digital reduction and divided in subclades of comparatively large, small, and miniaturized body size, respectively; Clade B with four species (S. miery, S. meikeae sp. nov., S. obscoena sp. nov., and S. davidattenboroughi sp. nov.) morphologically ranging from miniaturized with strong digital reduction to comparatively large-sized; Clade C with 18 species (S. grandis, S. kibomena, S. roseif- emoralis, S. tetradactyla, S. nigrorubra sp. nov., S. achillei sp. nov., S. diutissima sp. nov., S. pardus sp. nov., S. edmondsi sp. nov., S. fusca sp. nov., S. jeannoeli sp. nov., S. spandei sp. nov., S. garraffoi sp. nov., S. analanjirofo sp. nov., S. miovaova sp. nov., S. makira sp. nov., S. betampona sp. nov., and S. dolchi sp. nov.) mostly distributed in eastern and northeastern Madagascar, containing species of comparatively large size as well as small-sized species, many of which are characterized by a moderate degree of digital reduction; and Clade D with two miniaturized species (S. tridactyla and S. contumelia sp. nov.) with strong digital reduction, which form the sister group of all other Stumpffia. Two of the newly described species (S. angeluci and S. maledicta) are not separated by the 4% threshold in the 16S gene but occur in sympatry and do not share Rag-1 haplotypes. To achieve a comprehensive review of this species-rich genus, we provide simplified differential diagnoses and descriptions and abbreviated descriptions of morphological variation. Despite the large number of Stumpffia species newly described herein, we identify several additional candidate species with currently insufficient data to warrant formal description, and highlight that some species such as S. analanjirofo, S. gimmeli, S. kibomena, S. madagascariensis, S. roseifemoralis and S. obscoena are composed of two or more deep mitochondrial lineages that might also turn out to be distinct taxa after in-depth study. We confirm Stumpffia as a genus of highly microendemic frogs with many species apparently restricted to very small ranges, and provide evidence that two of the new species (S. achillei and S. davidattenboroughi) do not construct foam nests but lay their eggs in wet places in the leaf litter, or in cavities such as empty snail shells. We propose a conservation status for all the described species according to IUCN Red List Criteria, but also discuss several problems applying these criteria to such microendemic and poorly known frogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]