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I am a guentheri keeper. But I dont have much to
say:-))
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2001 2:22
PM
Subject: Re: [Gecko] Undescribed
Uroplatus and Uroplatus alluaudi
I have both the
malahelo and the malama paper.
Here's something to consider. The
picture of the ssp. on Uroplatus.com was taken by Olaf Pronk, yes this is the
namesake of Phelsuma pronki. Olaf is an exporter out of Madagascar and
has probably bred more Malagasy animals than anyone on this list. Olaf
also keeps or has kept U. alluaudi and certainly the other members. If he does
not believe the ssp. is either of those, you better be assured he has
physically examined and compared it to all members of the alluaudi group
before labeling it.
Here is something else to consider. U.
allauadi is known from about a handful of specimens collected over the last
100 years. That is one rare gecko, and comercial importation on the
scale we are seeing is highly unlikely. Oh and if you think the U.
alluaudi on the GGA's site is a different specimen than the one on
Uroplatus.com, you are mistaken. That animal was in Olaf's possesion when it
was photographed.
Do you know what "malahelo" means? Sad or
forelorn. That species biotype was in the process of being cleared when
it was collected. Also a rare gecko. Also, look at the tremendous
difference in scalation and toe size between the two.
I think if you
read further into the U. malama paper you referenced earlier you will see that
no one really knows what is going on with Uroplatus. The authors
said that it is entirely possible that U. malama, U. ebenaui, and U.
phantasticus are variations of the same species. And there are other
animals they did not consider. U. ebenaui with long tails,
HUGE U. frimbriatus with white eyes ( I think this may now be a
subspecies), the variations of U. henkeli. Compare a mainland U. henkeli
with an island form and you see dramatic differences.
The ssp. is not
U. malahelo, U. alluaudi, or U. guentheri.
How about some of you U.
guentheri keepers say something.
--Daniel
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