Latest news with #Lygodactylus
Miami Herald
04-08-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Dwarf'-like creature found sleeping near Madagascar hotel. It's a new species
As darkness stretched across Madagascar, a 'dwarf'-like creature settled on a tree branch near a hotel and fell asleep. But the night wouldn't be restful. Something about the animal caught the attention of passing scientists — and for good reason. It turned out to be a new species. A team of researchers visited Anjajavy Lodge in March 2023 to survey its wildlife as part of a larger project to classify some 'cryptic'-looking lizards, according to a study published July 23 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. During their visit, researchers searched the 'forest covering the lodge perimeter' and found several tiny lizards, the study said. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals, tracked down a few similar-looking archive specimens and analyzed their DNA. A pattern emerged: These lizards were subtly but consistently different from any known species, the study said. Researchers realized they'd discovered a new species: Lygodactylus anjajavy, or the Anjajavy dwarf gecko. Anjajavy dwarf geckos can reach about 2.5 inches long, researchers said. Photos show the brown-gray coloring of the new species. Some geckos have dark brown-black bands running along their sides, while others have a more marbled-looking pattern. Anjajavy dwarf geckos were found 'most often on tree trunks or sleeping at night on the tip of thin branches,' the study said. Researchers said they named the new species after Anjajavy Lodge because of where it was first discovered and 'in recognition of the support the hotel provided to our research.' A video shared on Facebook by the hotel shows its treehouse-like cabins, beach and surrounding nature reserve. 'It is a profound privilege to see our name forever linked to such rare and remarkable biodiversity,' the hotel wrote in a July 30 Facebook post. So far, Anjajavy dwarf geckos have been found at three sites near the northwestern coast of Madagascar, the study said. Based on this 'rather scattered' distribution and the 'general' threat of habitat loss, researchers considered the new species to be 'at least Vulnerable, if not Endangered.' The new species was identified by its DNA, scale pattern, texture, body proportions and other subtle physical features, the study said. The research team included Miguel Vences, Cecilia Herrmann, Malte Multzsch, Sven Gippner, Delina Razafimanafo, Ny Ando Rahagalala, Sandratra Rakotomanga, Andolalao Rakotoarison, Frank Glaw and Aurélien Miralles. The team also discovered two more new species of dwarf gecko: Lygodactylus arnei and Lygodactylus andavambato.
Miami Herald
01-08-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Eyeless' animals and ‘fairy' creatures: See this week's new species discoveries
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All linked stories were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. Unique creatures, odd animals and new species are being discovered across the planet. Some are found lurking in remote corners of the world, while others have been hiding right under our noses. Learn more about some recent new species discoveries: In the dark waters of an underground river in southeastern China, researchers discovered the Wanlan cavefish, a new species with a 'large hump' and 'eyeless' appearance. This golden-brown fish was found in Guizhou Province and is named after the town of Wanlan where it was first discovered. | Published July 28 | Read More | Off the coast of Tokyo, the deep-sea submersible Shinkai 6500 discovered a new species of limpet, Bathylepeta wadatsumi, at depths of over 19,000 feet. Named after the god of the sea from Japanese mythology, this 'mythical' creature was found attached to volcanic rock, marking the deepest discovery of this animal group. | Published July 28 | Read More | In a shallow roadside pond in India's Western Ghats, researchers found a new species of 'fairy shrimp' named Streptocephalus warliae. This ethereal creature, known for its upside-down swimming, was discovered on the Jawahar plateau and is named in honor of the indigenous Warli tribe. | Published July 28 | Read More | In the forests of Madagascar, researchers discovered the Arne Hartig dwarf gecko, Lygodactylus arnei, distinguished by its vibrant orange belly. Found in Baie De Baly National Park, this arboreal gecko is named after wildlife photographer Arne Hartig for his contributions to gecko exploration. | Published July 30 | Read More | In the forests of French Guiana, researchers identified Pristimantis fouqueti, a new species of rain frog known for its color-changing ability and 'high-pitched' calls. Found in the tree canopies, this frog is named after Antoine Fouquet for his contributions to amphibian systematics. | Published July 31 | Read More | McClatchy News continues to follow rare animals, new behaviors and even new species. Check back for the latest stories.
Miami Herald
30-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Island creature — with vibrant orange belly — is a new species in Madagascar
Under the cover of darkness, a group of researchers searched the northern forests of Madagascar for a small lizard. Moving between burnt trees in a densely packed forest, they noticed the little animals 'sleeping … on twigs or small branches,' and stopped for a closer look. The animals belong to a genus of geckos called Lygodactylus, or dwarf geckos, and were found to belong to species new to science, according to a study published July 23 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. Researchers found one of these new species in Baie De Baly National Park, a peninsula on Madagascar's northwestern coast, according to the study. The tail of the gecko is slightly longer than the rest of the body — 1.1 inches long compared to a body length of 1 inch – accounting for half of the animal's total size, researchers said. The species, named Lygodactylus arnei, can be distinguished from other dwarf geckos by the vibrant orange color on the bottom of its tail, stretching to its belly and sometimes its chest, according to the study. The rest of its underside is white, researchers said, while its back is slightly blue-gray in color with bands of white and brown coloring. Overall, the gecko is a bit wider than other species and has 'relatively large' eyes for its head, according to the study. 'The species name is a patronym for the wildlife photographer and gecko specialist Arne Hartig, in recognition for his contributions to the exploration of Madagascar's gecko fauna and the important support he provided for this study by making photos and information from his previous Namoroka expeditions available,' researchers said. The Arne Hartig dwarf gecko is arboreal, meaning it spends most of its life in trees, in a generally dry area, according to the study. In Baie de Baly National Park, a large number of trees were partially burnt about a year before the new species was found, according to the study, but while the smaller trees were dead and the leaf litter was scorched, many of the larger trees appeared in good condition. The new species was also found in two other regions of Madagascar, both within about 30 miles of the national park, researchers said. 'In the Tsiombikibo Forest, L. arnei has been found in a forested area where trees are relatively small and densely implanted, and where a relatively thin layer of leaf litter mostly rests on a bed of almost pure white sand,' researchers said. 'In Namoroka, this species has been more frequently found on tree trunks – or at their base, close to the leaf litter – growing in the border of the Tsingy karstic formation.' The 'tsingys' refers to an area of northwestern Madagascar covered with towering rock formations that look like shards of stone placed vertically in the ground. The name translates to 'where one cannot walk barefoot' in Malagasy, and the region provides a home to a high diversity of lizards, including other dwarf geckos. The Arne Hartig dwarf gecko was one of three new species found during the same 2023 expedition included in the study. The research team included Miguel Vences, Cecilia Herrmann, Malte Multzsch, Sven Gippner, Delina Razafimanafo, Ny Ando Rahagalala, Sandratra Rakotomanga, Andolalao Rakotoarison, Frank Glaw and Aurélien Miralles.
Miami Herald
29-07-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Peculiar new ‘dwarf' species found in towering cathedrals of rocks in Madagascar
In northwestern Madagascar, the landscape is defined by a forest of towering jagged limestone peaks called 'tsingys.' In Malagasy, the word translates to a place 'where one cannot walk barefoot.' But this terrain is no problem for a specialized dwarf creature that calls the karstic plateau home. Lygodactylus andavambato is a new 'peculiar' species of dwarf gecko recently discovered in the caves and narrow rock crevices of Tsingy de Namoroka National Park during a field expedition in 2023, according to a study published July 23 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. Lygodactylus andavambato is unique for its relatively 'slender' build compared to the 'robust' appearance of other closely related species, researchers said. It has a distinct banding pattern on its tail and in life, their bodies have an 'intense' contrast of brown and yellow colors, researchers said. Including its tail, the new species is just over 2.5 inches long. Most of the specimens were 'collected on large and smooth whitish limestone walls, at eye-level, either at the entrances of caves or along relatively dark corridors of fresh air running right through the massif,' according to the study. Others, however, were found 'outside of the very heart of the Tsingy massif' in the neighboring savanna near clusters of rock slabs, the study said. This suggests the new dwarf gecko is not strictly a cave-dweller, but rather, a species that requires narrow rock crevices to shelter. Lygodactylus andavambato is one of three new dwarf gecko species discovered during the 2023 expeditions to the region. The research team included Miguel Vences, Cecilia Herrmann, Malte Multzsch, Sven Gippner, Delina Razafimanafo, Ny Ando Rahagalala, Sandratra Rakotomanga, Andolalao Rakotoarison, Frank Glaw and Aurélien Miralles.
