A Candidate Species Within Furcifer viridis?

Science brings clarity to what is known at present, yet simultaneously opens questions and reacts to new findings.

Furcifer viridis was formally described in 2012 by Florio, Ingram, Rakotondravony, Louis, and Raxworthy, following its separation from Furcifer lateralis. The terra typica is the Tsaratanana Massif in northern Madagascar, specifically at high elevations within this montane region pwith a type locality: Ambinanitelo (14.22556°S, 48.96297°E), 1250- to 1300 m elevation, Tsaratanana Massif, Mahajanga Province, Madagascar. The split was supported by combined DNA and RNA evidence, and a clear distribution map was produced to illustrate its range.

Recently, Maka Thubaut Kevin documented a specimen at the northwestern edge of the Tsingy de Namoroka, a locality not previously reported for the species. This individual exhibits the typical narrow lateral line and characteristic head morphology. When compared to material from Morondava, the Namoroka animals are substantially smaller and the F. major phenotype than looks closer to the phenotype from Morondava than to the northwestern F. viridis populations.

Such observations raise the possibility of further differentiation within F. viridis or even across the broader F. lateralis complex. Ecological variation is striking: some populations inhabit sea-level habitats, while others occur above 1250 m a.s.l. This altitudinal breadth, combined with morphological divergence, suggests that future taxonomic revisions may uncover additional cryptic diversity within this group.

Maka Thubaut Kevin: Furcifer viridis from Tsingi de Namorok