B. micra was found during the day active on the ground in a mosaic of eroded limestone boulders and dry forest leaf litter, and at night roosting on branches in very low vegetation (ca. 5–10 cm above the ground).

[Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M, 2012]

Author(s): Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M

Rights holder(s): Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M

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A member of the Brookesia minima group based on small body size (SVL<20 mm) and molecular phylogenetic relationships. Brookesia micra is distinguished from all other members of the group by a shorter relative tail length (tail length/SVL 0.37–0.49 versus 0.49–0.92), and by orange coloured tails in life in adults (vs. inconspicuous brownish colour). In addition, from B. confidens by a smaller adult male size (SVL 15.1–15.3 mm vs. 18.3–20.1 mm), supranasal cone present (vs. absent), and hemipenis with comb-like apical structure (vs. narrow without ornaments); from B. dentata by probably smaller adult body size (no measurements of male B. dentata available); from B. exarmata by smaller adult body size (female SVL 18.7–19.9 vs. 25.7–26.5, no male measurements available for B. exarmata); from B. karchei by smaller size (female SVL 18.7–19.9 vs. 30.7, no male measurements available for B. karchei); supraocular cone absent (vs. present); from B. minima by presence of a pelvic spine (vs. absent or indistinct pelvic spine), and hemipenis with comb-like apical structure (vs. balloon-like without ornaments); from B. peyrierasi by a smaller adult male size (SVL 15.1–15.3 mm vs. 19.1–27.4 mm), and hemipenis with comb-like apical structure (vs. bilobed with four spines on each lobe); from B. ramanantsoai by a smaller adult male size (SVL 15.1–15.3 mm vs. 21.7 mm), supraocular cone absent (vs. present in some specimens), and hemipenis with comb-like apical structure (vs. baloon-like without ornaments); from B. tristis by a smaller adult male size (SVL 15.1–15.3 mm vs. 18.0–18.2 mm), and hemipenis with comb-like apical structure (vs. small papillae on apex not arranged comb-like); and from B. tuberculata by supraocular cone absent (vs. present), and hemipenis with comb-like apical structure (vs. crown-like structure). For a distinction from B. desperata, described below, see the diagnosis of this species. Referencing a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene, B. micra shows an uncorrected pairwise divergence of 6.8% to its sister clade (B. tristis+B. desperata), and divergences >7.2% to all other species of the B. minima group.

[Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M, 2012]

Author(s): Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M

Rights holder(s): Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M

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Only known from two sites on the small island of Nosy Hara, northern Madagascar. Remarkably, no Brookesia species was recorded during intensive herpetological surveys of Nosy Hara, nearby islands and the adjacent mainland [Metcalf CJE, Hampson K, Gray A, Andrianirina R (2007)], suggesting that B. micra might be difficult to record.

[Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M, 2012]

Author(s): Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M

Rights holder(s): Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M

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