Sexing

Sexing

With the rise in popularity for many Uroplatus species, I felt it was important to begin discussing how the experts attempt to sex their hatchling/juvenile Uroplatus. As a rule of thumb for most species, we can never be 100% until we see hemipenes, or lack thereof, but a few species are sexually dimorphic, even at birth. If you work with enough specimens, patterns begin emerging, but but in most cases, sexing by pattern alone is not quite enough.

*Note: The following is a working list that will be edited as time and data permits.

 

Uroplatus ebenaui

Much like U.phantasticus, the tail on a male U.ebenaui will appear to have been eaten or chewed by insects, leaving small indentations along the edge of the tail itself while females usually possess a noticeably smoother edge around the tail. Males are also adorned with a random placement of dermal spines easily distinguishing them from their female counterparts.

 

Uroplatus lineatus

Uroplatus lineatus are among the easiest to identify, as they are sexually dimorphic from birth based on their dorsal markings. Female U.lineatus are born with two rows of either solid or dotted white lines running alongside the spine. Males are born with the opposite effect, scattered white blotches running down the spine rather than the straight lines of the female.

 

Uroplatus phantasticus

Similar U.ebenaui, U.phantasticus are easily distinguishable by the tail shape. Again, males will possess the “chewed” or “eaten” edges to exhibit a more authentic “leaf”, while females lack lack these indentations all together.

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