Doubts he's a U.sameiti...

jadrig · #1 08-26-2011, 07:01 PM

Originally I figured that this Uroplatus was a sameiti because he was obviously not sikorae. But since December, he has not stopped growing and has a voracious appetite for a male. He is currently around 8.5 inches long and narrowly built...kinda like a cross between lineatus and henkeli. His tail has a point at the end of it unlike sikorae, or any of the other species that I have kept. I was curious to see if any of the sameiti keepers out there have noticed this point at the tip of the (original) tail. I received him as a sikorae...and a couple weeks later was content with calling him a sameiti after he gaped...But now that he has not stopped growing...I think he is out of the sameiti range. His tail is too thin and narrow to be a henkeli sp.

pakinjak · #2 08-26-2011, 09:19 PM

Any chance it's a Diego Henkeli? The fired up pattern looks like some others I've seen pictures of.

miguel camacho! · #3 08-26-2011, 10:47 PM

First pic doesn't match the other two...but looks like henkeli. Not understanding the "cross" reference to lineatus, I see nothing that suggests that, unless it's the point at the tip of the tail you're referring to, which isn't shown at all in the 2nd or 3rd pics.

I'd say 2nd and 3rd pics are one of the mossy species. However, the lines are blurring when everyone is coming out with all of these different characteristics and suggesting undescribed species. Do the armpits have any yellowish coloration?

Luperosaurus · #4 08-27-2011, 12:40 AM

Looks like U.sikorae or U.sameiti for me...

jadrig · #5 08-27-2011, 01:20 AM

all 3 pics are the same animal...when I said a cross between lineatus and henkeli...I meant that its length/width. Its mouth is completely flesh colored with no pigment on tongue or throat. He also has no orangish/yellowish pigment on his underbelly-only white/grey. He is eating like he is still growing...at least one large dubia roach every night...he even eats adult dubia.

Luperosaurus · #6 08-27-2011, 02:03 AM

Its mouth is completely flesh colored with no pigment on tongue or throat
This is the key answer.... U.sameiti. This is not U.spec. "Diego" for me. I have group of them and can say that proportion between head and body are not same with same proportions of wellknown U.sikorae or sameiti. "Diego"'s head are bigger from body. Also thear full lenght are much longer then U.sikorae/sameiti...

jadrig · #7 08-27-2011, 03:43 AM

He just does not have the henkeli features at all...but I did not think that sameiti got that big...

Luperosaurus · #8 08-27-2011, 04:03 AM

Uroplatus sameiti is really bigger then Uroplatus sikorae. The total lenght of U.sameiti can be 18-19 maybe 20cm....

miguel camacho! · #9 08-27-2011, 11:26 PM

I was asking about pigmentation of the armpits, not underbelly. The U. aff. henkeli that some speak of has a slight yellow coloration behind the forelimbs. My animals, which I have been told are "Northern U. cf. henkeli" from the person I acquired them from (whether this is the same or different from the individuals others talk about as the U. aff. henkeli I admit I do not know, I just know mine all came from the same shipment). All of mine, while I admit they have similarities in appearance to the mossy species also have a pink tongue and pink mouth. They're smaller than typical henkeli. They also have the small point at the tip of the tail as is visible in your first picture (which has never stood out as anything out of the ordinary to me).

Additionally, I do not believe that width of the tail is an indicator of species at all. Spanning the species of Uroplatus I've kept (currently and formerly), unless I've had multiple species (which I'll entertain as a possibility), I've noticed narrow tails and broad tails. I'd hardly use that as an indicator of species.

And forgive me if I'm wrong, Joe, but that first photo just does not match up with the other two, even though you insist they're all the same individual. I'm familiar with the blanching that takes place during the day, and perhaps it just boils down to a photo that doesn't properly portray the animal, but the degree of patterning (especially the fine, dark lines) does not disappear completely in blanching.

jadrig · #10 08-28-2011, 05:26 AM

I havent handled him in a long time so he s feisty. I ll check his armpit/forearm region and double check. I also have noticed a lot of variation with tail width and length when it comes to henkeli, but this guys tail is a lot wider at the base (hemepene region) than in comparison to the rest of the tail.

Also, the first pic was a couple months after I had gotten him settled in, under 10.0 UVB. All pics were without a flash and have just been cropped. The second and third pics were in December when I first acquired him and there was no light on him at the time. Now, he usually stays like a more orangish hue of the second and third pics. I have removed the UV light from his enclosure though.

I also recall reading an article where someone said there is a U.sameiti/sp that gets a little larger from the Montagne d'Ambre area.