''Matoatoa'' is a small
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from .
Geckos ar ...
s, lizards in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
Gekkonidae. The genus is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
.
Species
There are two recognized species:
[
*'']Matoatoa brevipes
''Matoatoa brevipes'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Madagascar.
Geographic range
''M. brevipes'' is found along the southwestern coast of Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ...
''
*''Matoatoa spannringi
''Matoatoa spannringi'' is a species of gecko part of the lizard Family (biology), family Gekkonidae. The species is Endemism, endemic to Madagascar.
Etymology
The Specific name (zoology), specific name, ''spannringi'', honors botanist Jürgen S ...
''
''Nota bene
(, or ; plural form ) is a Latin phrase meaning "note well".
It is often abbreviated as NB, n.b., or with the ligature
and first appeared in English writing . In Modern English, it is used, particularly in legal papers, to draw the atten ...
'': A binomial authority
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Matoatoa''.
References
Further reading
* Heinicke MP, Daza JD, Greenbaum E, Jackman TR, Bauer AM (2014). "Phylogeny, taxonomy and biogeography of a circum-Indian Ocean clade of leaf-toed geckos (Reptilia: Gekkota), with a description of two new genera". ''Systematics and Biodiversity'' 12 (1): 23–42.
* Nussbaum RA, Raxworthy CJ, Pronk O (1998). "The Ghost Geckos of Madagascar: A Further Revision of the Malagasy Leaf-toed Geckos (Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonidae)". ''Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan'' (186): 1-26. (''Matoatoa'', new genus, p. 2; ''M. spannringi'', new species, p. 12).
Reptiles of Madagascar
Endemic fauna of Madagascar
Lizard genera
{{Gecko-stub