''Matoatoa'' is a small
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
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. They range from .
Geckos are unique among lizards ...
s, lizards in the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 62 genera. The Gekkonidae contain many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), the tokay gecko (''Ge ...
. The genus is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...
.
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, officially the Repub ...
''
*'' Matoatoa spannringi''
''Nota bene
( ; plural: ) is the Latin language, Latin phrase meaning ''note well''.
In manuscripts, ''nota bene'' is abbreviated in upper-case as NB and N.B., and in lower-case as n.b. and nb; the editorial usages of ''nota bene'' and ''notate bene'' fi ...
'': A binomial authority
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...
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
{{Gekkonidae-stub