Evidence of sexual dimorphism in neonate Henkel’s leaf-tailed gecko, Uroplatus henkeli

Abstract. Uroplatus henkeli is one of eleven recognized species of Uroplatus endemic to Madagascar. The sex of all species of Uroplatus can easily be determined by the presence of large hemipenial bulges in adult males. In addition, adult U. henkeli are sexually dimorphic by color (Glaw and Vences 1994; Henkel and Schmidt 1995). It has also been noted that some male U. henkeli exhibit a vertebral stripe as neonates; however, many juvenile males do not manifest this trait (Foley and McGinnity 1996). Other than
the occasional presence of a vertebral stripe, sexual dimorphism in juvenile U. henkeli has yet to be described.