About

Until recently, Uroplatus fiera were considered Uroplatus aff.ebenaui. In 2015, RATSOAVINA et al officially described this species and gave it the name fiera. U. fiera is a species collected primarily from Eastern/Central forests of Madagascar and it very closely resembles Uroplatus ebenaui.

U. fiera is a more commonly seen “ebenaui” group species in the hobby, but because of its similarities to U. ebenaui, it is often misidentified. If you happen upon a classified ad for Uroplatus ebenaui in the U.S., there is a chance that you are looking at images of U. fiera, as U. fiera  often come in on shipments mislabeled as U. ebenaui.  

To clear up any confusion about which species is which, the following are observed distinctions between the two.

Range

U. fiera are collected primarily in the forest near Ambohibary and Moramanga.

Morphology

Size

U.fiera reach an adult SVL of ~9 cm, 3.5″. Both males and females average a weight of 7-8 grams with gravid females averaging 9-10 grams.

Eye Horns and Cranial Ridge

U.fiera have two horns, or “eyelashes”, just above and behind each eye. These are not very dramatic and often overlooked. In addition to the two “eyelashes” over each eye, U.fiera lack the cranial ridge that connects the horns along the base of the head, as seen in U.ebenaui.

 

 

Throat Color

U.fiera possess a flesh, or pink, colored buccal membrane. This contrasts with the black buccal membrane found in U.ebenaui.