Post by Ceratodromeus on Feb 7, 2017 23:49:29 GMT 5
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Squamata
Suborder:Lacertilia
Family: Gekkonidae
Subfamily: Gekkoninae
Genus: Geckolepis
Species: G.megalepis
Biology
The fish scaled geckos, as members as of the Geckolepis genus are referred to as, are a remarkable group of animals endemic to Madagascar. This new species, described in an article this year, is described as having "exceptionally large" scales, which it can shed if stressed out or otherwise threatened. It is a unique defensive mechanism utilized in a similar fashion to other geckoes that shed their tails. The holotype animal, an adult of unknown sex, was collected in 2007 in Northern Madagascar. This species is similar in size to other Geckolepis species, but differs via the possession of narrow infraorbital fenestra, the possession of rectangular nasal bones. Because of their defensive mechanism, it is incredibly difficult to make species identifications. The holotype female (catalogue number FGZC 1144) measured 68.4mm(2.69in) in snout-vent length, possessed a tail measuring 80.1mm(3.1in), and had a head measuring 15.9mm(0.62in) and 16.1mm (0.63in)wide. The species is known from two other animals, one of which is presumably a subadult animal. The species' osteology can be read in the article on the species' description{1}.
New species of gecko has massive scales and tear-away skin
"Many lizards can drop their tails when grabbed, but one group of geckos has gone to particularly extreme lengths to escape predation. Fish-scale geckos in the genus Geckolepis have large scales that tear away with ease, leaving them free to escape whilst the predator is left with a mouth full of scales. Scientists have now described a new species (Geckolepis megalepis) that is the master of this art, possessing the largest scales of any gecko.
The skin of fish-scale geckos is specially adapted to tearing. The large scales are attached only by a relatively narrow region that tears with ease, and beneath them they have a pre-formed splitting zone within the skin itself. Together, these features make them especially good at escaping from predators. Although several other geckos are able to lose their skin like this if they are grasped really firmly, Geckolepis are apparently able to do it actively, and at the slightest touch. And while others might take a long time to regenerate their scales, fish-scale geckos can grow them back, scar-free, in a matter of weeks.
This remarkable (if somewhat gruesome) ability has made these geckos a serious challenge to the scientists who want to study them. Early researchers described how it was necessary to catch them with bundles of cotton wool, to avoid them losing almost all of their skin. Today, little has changed, and researchers try to catch them without touching them if possible, by luring them into plastic bags. But once they are caught, the challenges are not over; identifying and describing them is even harder.
"A study a few years ago showed that our understanding of the diversity of fish-scale geckos was totally inadequate," says Mark D. Scherz, lead author of the new study and PhD student at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and Zoologische Staatssammlung München, "it showed us that there were actually about thirteen highly distinct genetic lineages in this genus, and not just the three or four species we thought existed. One of the divergent lineages they identified was immediately obvious as a new species, because it had such massive scales. But to name it, we had to find additional reliable characteristics that distinguish it from the other species." A challenging task indeed: one of the main ways reptile species can be told apart is by their scale patterns, but these geckos lose their scales with such ease that the patterns are often lost by the time they reach adulthood. "You have to think a bit outside the box with Geckolepis. They're a nightmare to identify. So we turned to micro-CT to get at their skeletons and search there for identifying features." Micro-CT (micro-computed tomography) is essentially a 3D x-ray of an object. This method is allowing morphologists like Scherz to examine the skeletons of animals without having to dissect them, opening up new approaches to quickly study the internal morphology of animals.
By looking at the skeletons of the geckos, the team was able to identify some features of the skull that distinguish their new species from all others. But they also found some surprises; a species named 150 years ago, Geckolepis maculata, was confirmed to be different from the genetic lineage that it had been thought to be. "This is just typical of Geckolepis. You think you have them sorted out, but then you get a result that turns your hypothesis on its head. We still have no idea what Geckolepis maculata really is -- we are just getting more and more certain what it's not."
The new species, Geckolepis megalepis, which was described by researchers from the US, Germany, and Columbia in a paper published today in the open access journal PeerJ, is most remarkable because of its huge scales, which are by far the largest of any gecko. The researchers hypothesize that the larger scales tear more easily than smaller scales, because of their greater surface area relative to the attachment area, and larger friction surface. "What's really remarkable though is that these scales -- which are really dense and may even be bony, and must be quite energetically costly to produce -- and the skin beneath them tear away with such ease, and can be regenerated quickly and without a scar," says Scherz. The mechanism for regeneration, which is not well understood, could potentially have applications in human medicine, where regeneration research is already being informed by studies on salamander limbs and lizard tails."
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170207092733.htm
{1}Off the scale: a new species of fish-scale gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Geckolepis) with exceptionally large scales
Abstract
The gecko genus Geckolepis, endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro archipelago, is taxonomically challenging. One reason is its members ability to autotomize a large portion of their scales when grasped or touched, most likely to escape predation. Based on an integrative taxonomic approach including external morphology, morphometrics, genetics, pholidosis, and osteology, we here describe the first new species from this genus in 75 years: Geckolepis megalepis sp. nov. from the limestone karst of Ankarana in northern Madagascar. The new species has the largest known body scales of any gecko (both relatively and absolutely), which come off with exceptional ease. We provide a detailed description of the skeleton of the genus Geckolepis based on micro-Computed Tomography (micro-CT) analysis of the new species, the holotype of G. maculata, the recently resurrected G. humbloti, and a specimen belonging to an operational taxonomic unit (OTU) recently suggested to represent G. maculata. Geckolepis is characterized by highly mineralized, imbricated scales, paired frontals, and unfused subolfactory processes of the frontals, among other features. We identify diagnostic characters in the osteology of these geckos that help define our new species and show that the OTU assigned to G. maculata is probably not conspecific with it, leaving the taxonomic identity of this species unclear. We discuss possible reasons for the extremely enlarged scales of G. megalepis in the context of an anti-predator defence mechanism, and the future of Geckolepis taxonomy.
peerj.com/articles/2955/