Corresponding author: Claudia Koch (
Academic editor: N. Ananjeva
We herein describe a new colorful species of
Describimos una colorida nueva especie de
The polychrotine iguanid lizards of the genus
Although the existence of all the currently recognized species in the genus has been known for quite a long time, with the latest discovered species being described more than 86 years ago (
We further redescribe
To contribute to the knowledge of the herpetofauna of Andean dry forests, three of the authors (P. J. Venegas, A. W. Garcia Bravo, and C. Koch) surveyed the inter-Andean valleys of the upper Marañon basin between March 2008 and November 2010. The investigations resulted in the discovery of an obviously undescribed species of
All collected specimens were preserved in 96% ethanol and stored in 70% ethanol. The new species is described on the basis of 6 collected specimens (2 males and 4 females). The redescription of
Comparative data for other
Altitudes above sea level and geographic coordinates were determined with a GPS (Garmin GPSMap 60CSx) using the geodetic datum WGS84. Humidity and air temperatures were taken with a digital thermo-hygrometer (Extech) with an external sensor.
CORBIDI 7725 (
Male holotype of
CORBIDI 5742 (
(
Summary of morphometric and pholidosis characters of
Sex | All (n=6) | Males (n=2) | Females (n=4) |
---|---|---|---|
Axilla-groin length/SVL | 0.46–0.55<br/> (0.48 ± 0.03) | 0.46–0.5<br/> (0.48 ± 0.03) | 0.48–0.55<br/> (0.51 ± 0.03) |
Head length/SVL | 0.23–0.25<br/> (0.24 ± 0.01) | 0.25<br/> (0.25 ± 0.00) | 0.23–0.24<br/> (0.24 ± 0.01) |
Head length/Head width | 1.46–1.63<br/> (1.55 ± 0.06) | 1.51–1.56<br/> (1.54 ± 0.04) | 1.46–1.63<br/> (1.56 ± 0.08) |
Head width/Head height | 0.98–1.1<br/> (1.03 ± 0.05) | 1.01–1.06<br/> (1.04 ± 0.03) | 0.98–1.1<br/> (1.03 ± 0.06) |
Tail length/SVL | 2.13–2.33<br/> (2.23 ± 0.08) | 2.16–2.22<br/> (2.19 ± 0.04) | 2.13–2.33<br/> (2.25 ± 0.09) |
Scales around midbody | 131–186<br/> (164.17 ± 20.45) | 139–186<br/> (162.5 ± 33.23) | 131–149<br/> (138 ± 7.87) |
Vertebral scales | 198–215<br/> (206.17 ± 6.94) | 198–202<br/> (200 ± 2.83) | 202–215<br/> (209.25 ± 6.29) |
Gular scales | 72–83<br/> (75.67 ± 4.18) | 73–83<br/> (78 ± 7.07) | 72–78<br/> (74.5 ± 2.65) |
Diameter eye/head length | 0.17–0.23<br/> (0.19 ± 0.02) | 0.18–0.19<br/> (0.18 ± 0.01) | 0.17–0.23<br/> (0.19 ± 0.03) |
Subdigitals finger IV | 33–36<br/> (34.67 ± 1.21) | 34–35<br/> (34.5 ± 0.71) | 33–36<br/> (34.75 ± 1.5) |
Subdigitals toe IV | 42–48<br/> (45.33 ± 2.16) | 46–47<br/> (46.5 ± 0.71) | 42–48<br/> (44.75 ± 2.5) |
Forelimbs/SVL | 0.38–0.46<br/> (0.42 ± 0.07) | 0.41–0.42<br/> (0.42 ± 0.01) | 0.38–0.46<br/> (0.42 ± 0.03) |
Hindlimbs/SVL | 0.51– 0.59<br/> (0.53 ± 0.07) | 0.51–0.53<br/> (0.52 ± 0.01) | 0.52–0.59<br/> (0.54 ± 0.04) |
Femoral pores (left) | 13–15<br/> (14 ± 0.63) | 14<br/> (14 ± 0) | 13–15<br/> (14 ± 0.82) |
Adult male with a snout-vent-length (SVL) of 140.5 mm. Head 0.25 times SVL, 1.51 times longer than wide, as wide as high. Snout pointed; canthus rostralis distinct posteriorly. Neck narrower than the head, and almost as wide as the anterior part of the body. Body compressed. Limbs well developed, forelimbs 0.41 times SVL, hindlimbs 0.53 times SVL, tibia 0.17 times SVL. The tail almost round in cross section, tapering toward the tip; 2.22 times SVL. Rostral trapezoid, almost two times as wide as high, visible from above. Posterior margin with 3 sutures that do not partition the rostral, bordered posteriorly by 2 large scales. Scales on snout heterogeneous in size, irregularly polygonal, juxtaposed, flat, rugose, some are swollen; 3 scales across snout between second canthals. 3 canthals between nasal and supraciliaries, anterior one wide. Supraorbital semicircles more or less distinct, with 9–10 scales, separated medially by 1 row of scales, slightly smaller in size than those of supraorbital semicircles (
Mental bell-shaped, almost 2.5 times as wide as high, posterior half divided by a median sulcus. Postmentals 3, lateral ones distinctly larger than median scale. Infralabials 6; followed to commissure by 2–3 distinctly smaller scales. Lateral scales on chin almost the same size as those on median part of chin, irregular polygonal, juxtaposed, flat, smooth, and slightly convex. No elevated scales on the median part of chin and gular region present. Gular fan has scales the same size and structure as chin scales, which are separated from each other by an extensible skin covered with granules (
Scales on nape anteriorly relatively small, granular and almost rounded, juxtaposed, convex; posteriorly grading into dorsals. Scales on the sides of the neck are slightly larger than those on the nape, merging ventrally with the gulars. Dorsals polygonal to rounded, juxtaposed, flat, to some extent convex; 198 scales in a middorsal line between the occiput and the posterior margin of the hindlimbs. Scales on flanks are of a similar size and same shape as those of dorsum, convex, smooth, in poorly defined, oblique rows. Ventrals larger than dorsals, flat, smooth, lanceolate, and imbricate, in poorly defined, oblique and transverse rows. A gradual transition between dorsal, lateral and ventral scales. Scales around midbody 186. Preanal plate has scales which are smaller than ventrals, approximately the same size as dorsals. Preanal pores absent. Femoral pores 14 per side, almost in the centre of a slightly larger scale (
Tail has rhomboid, flat, sharply keeled scales, distinctly larger than the dorsals, arranged in longitudinal and oblique rows; keels aligned longitudinally; on ventral surface of the tail, scales are slightly larger and more rectangular. Tail not regenerated ending somewhat bluntly.
Scales on forelimbs slightly larger than dorsals, polygonal to rounded, flat, smooth, mostly imbricate but more juxtaposed on upper arm; slightly smaller on ventral aspect of forearms; towards posterior aspect ventrals become smaller. Scales on hindlimbs are as large as dorsals, polygonal to rounded, flat, smooth, imbricate on thigh and ventrally, juxtaposed on dorsal surface of tibia, slightly larger and slightly keeled on ventral part of tibia, and slightly lanceolate; toward posterior aspect of thighs, both dorsally and ventrally, scales become distinctly smaller. Subdigital lamellae of fingers and toes single, short, multicarinate, 35 under fourth finger, 47 under fourth toe (
Snout-vent length 140.5; axilla-groin length 64; length of leg 74; length of arm 58; length of tail 311.5; body height at midbody 25.3; body width at midbody 22.4; length of head 35.7; height of head 23.4; width of head 23.7; length of snout 25; diameter of eye 6.3; distance from tip of snout to anterior margin of nostril 7.1; distance from nostril to eye 7.9; distance from eye to ear 14.
In life, when unstressed (
Under stress (
The species may also change its colours to camouflage itself, but this behaviour was not observed during our short investigation.
In preservative, the general dorsal colour is mainly brown-grey and the head and middorsal stripe are darker than the lateral body parts. Bands on the tail alternate in pale brown-grey and dark grey-brown. The ventral region is white to pale grey.
(
There is a continuous series of 2–4 preoculars, 3 suboculars, which are in direct contact with the supralabials, and 3–4 postoculars. Supralabials 5–7; followed to commissure of mouth by 1–4 scales. Internasals in all paratypes 5. Supratemporals 6–7.
Mental half divided by a median sulcus in three paratypes, almost divided in one paratype and completely divided in another specimen. Postmentals 4 in all paratypes. Gular scales 72–83. Infralabials 6–8; followed to commissure by 2–6 scales. Femoral pores 13–15 per side. Subdigital lamellae 33–36 under fourth finger, 42–48 under fourth toe.
In life, the dorsal surface of the head of the subadult male paratype (ZFMK 91763,
In life, the dorsal ground colouration of females (CORBIDI 5742, CORBIDI 7724, ZFMK 90834, ZFMK 91764) on the head, back, limbs and tail is lime green with most parts spotted black (
In preservative, dorsal pattern remains similar to the pattern in life but colouration mainly consist of different shades of blue, only the darkly shaded green stripes on the dorsum are brownish-blue to brown in some of the specimens; head grey-blue to greenish-blue; on tail brownish to greyish-brown bands, alternating with pale greyish-brown, pale green or blue toned bands. On ventral surface, gular fan, venter, limbs and tail white to greyish-white; chin also white to greyish white, but in one gravid specimen (ZFMK 91764) it is intermixed with pale bluish scales.
The species is dedicated to Jacqueline Maria Charles (Leicester, England) in recognition of her support of nature conservation and taxonomic research through the BIOPAT initiative.
This new species is only known from the type locality (
The type locality of
(
Summary of morphometric and pholidosis characters of
Sex | All (n=47) | Males (n=24) | Females (n=23) |
---|---|---|---|
Axilla-groin length/SVL | 0.43–0.53<br/> (0.49 ± 0.03)*** | 0.43–0.53<br/> (0.47 ± 0.03)** | 0.47–0.52<br/> (0.5 ± 0.02)* |
Head length/SVL | 0.21–0.28<br/> (0.25 ± 0.02) | 0.24–0.28<br/> (0.26 ± 0.01) | 0.21–0.26<br/> (0.24 ± 0.01) |
Head length/Head width | 1.37–1.84<br/> (1.58 ± 0.10)*** | 1.37–1.66<br/> (1.54 ± 0.09)** | 1.49–1.84<br/> (1.61 ± 0.09)* |
Head width/Head height | 0.69–1.08<br/> (0.95 ± 0.09)*** | 0.84–1.06<br/> (0.96 ± 0.06)** | 0.69–1.08<br/> (0.93 ± 0.11)* |
Tail length/SVL | 1.29–3.15<br/> (2.71 ± 0.47) | 1.53–3.15<br/> (2.67 ± 0.55) | 1.29–3.11<br/> (2.76 ± 0.21) |
Scales around midbody | 52–74<br/> (61.49 ± 5.15) | 52–67<br/> (58.75 ± 3.42) | 56–74<br/> (64.35 ± 4.92) |
Elevated vertebrals (crest) | 9–28<br/> (22.19 ± 6.16) | 20–28<br/> (25.92 ± 1.77) | 9–28<br/> (18.3 ± 6.82) |
Gular scales | 28–38<br/> (33.7 ± 2.58)*** | 28–36<br/> (32 ± 2.36)** | 31–38<br/> (35 ± 1.96)* |
Diameter eye/head length | 0.25–0.31<br/> (0.27 ± 0.02)*** | 0.25–0.28<br/> (0.26 ± 0.01)** | 0.25–0.31<br/> (0.28 ± 0.02)* |
Subdigitals finger IV | 25–33<br/> (29.74 ± 1.81) | 28–33<br/> (30.13 ± 1.54) | 25–33<br/> (29.35 ± 2.06) |
Subdigitals toe IV | 32–43<br/> (37.15 ± 3.01) | 33–43<br/> (36.75 ± 3.0) | 32–41<br/> (37.57 ± 3.1) |
Forelimbs/SVL | 0.46–0.57<br/> (0.52 ± 0.03)*** | 0.46–0.57<br/> (0.53 ± 0.03)** | 0.48–0.57<br/> (0.51 ± 0.03)* |
Hindlimbs/SVL | 0.58–0.69<br/> (0.61 ± 0.04)*** | 0.58–0.69<br/> (0.63 ± 0.04)** | 0.52–0.65<br/> (0.59 ± 0.04)* |
Femoral pores (left) | 6–13<br/> (9.74 ± 1.45) | 6–13<br/> (9.77 ± 1.55) | 7–12<br/> (9.15 ± 1.34) |
***(n=23), **(n=10), *(n=13)
A
Rostral trapezoid, striated, about two times as wide as high. Most of the individuals (18/23) lack sutures on the posterior margin of the rostral, three specimens possess one very short median suture, one specimen exhibits a median suture that half divides the rostral and another specimen exhibits two short sutures on the posterior margin. Rostral bordered posteriorly by 2–4 scales, mostly 3 (17/23). Postrostral scales striated. Scales on snout heterogeneous in size, irregularly polygonal, juxtaposed, rugose or swollen; 1–4 scales, mostly 2 (14/23) across snout between second canthals. Two striated canthals between nasal and supraciliaries (3 in one specimen: ZFMK 90829). Supraorbital semicircles distinct, with 8–12 scales, separated medially by 1 scale (
Male specimen of
Mental striated, two to 2.5 times as wide as high, posteriorly notched, followed by a median sulcus that almost or at least divides the mental half. Postmentals 3–4 (n=23), striated, lateral ones larger than median scale. Infralabials 5–10, strongly striated with 3–8 keels; followed to commissure by 2–4 distinctly smaller scales. Lateral scales on chin and gular flap oval, in posterior part more or less drawn-out, imbricate, flat and strongly striated with 1–8 keels. A row of 8–14 (n=23) raised, lobe-shaped, striated scales forming a mid-chin crest and merging into a gular flap that reaches the posterior level of the forelimbs (
Scales on nape anteriorly relatively small, almost rounded, juxtaposed and convex; posteriorly grade into dorsals and merge ventrally with gulars. Middorsal crest present; in adult males it is composed of 20–28 lobe-shaped scales, reaching from behind the occiput to the level of the hindlimbs, in females or juvenile males it is composed of 7–19 lobe-shaped scales, present only on anterior part of the dorsum. Lateral dorsals are oval or slightly lanceolate and are almost the same size throughout body, imbricate, flat; unicarinate in paravertebral region; number of keels augments in direction of ventral body part.
56–70 scales in a paravertebral line between occiput and posterior margin of hindlimbs. Ventrals imbricate, distinctly more overlapping and slightly smaller than dorsals, strongly lanceolate, uni- to multicarinate; in thorax region slightly smaller, in abdominal region arranged in oblique and transverse rows. A gradual transition between dorsal, lateral and ventral scales. Scales around midbody 52–74 (n=47). Preanal pores absent. Femoral pores 6–13 (n=47) (
Tail with imbricate, rhomboid, flat, sharply keeled scales, slightly larger than dorsals; in longitudinal and oblique rows, keeles aligned longitudinally. Original tail ending more or less pointed.
Scales on forelimbs slightly smaller than dorsals, imbricate and more or less lanceolate, uni- to tricarinate. Scales on hindlimbs slightly smaller than dorsals, imbricate and more or less lanceolate, unicarinate on dorsal surface and uni- to tricarinate on ventral surface. Subdigital lamellae of fingers and toes single, short, multicarinate, 25–33 (n=47) under fourth finger, 32–43 (n=47) under fourth toe (
In life, when unstressed, the dorsal ground colouration of males (
Under stress, colouration of body, limbs and tail changes into a dark brown in both sexes (
In preservative, dorsal pattern remains similar to the pattern in life but colouration changes into bluish or brownish. Heads of males are dorsally and laterally brownish, and ventrally cream colour or whitish. Venter of both sexes pale blue, green or brown.
In Peru, this species is distributed in the regions of Amazonas, Cajamarca, and Piura in the drainage basins of Río Huancabamba, Río Utcubamba and Río Marañón (
When discovered in a tree, the animals first react similarly as a chameleon: they compress their body laterally and try with very slow movements to take cover behind a stick or branch. Once grabbed, they expand their gular fan, open their mouth widely and try to bite the captor while they try, simultaneously, to free their bodies with strong twisting and turning movements. Similar observations were also made by
One gravid female (ZFMK 90822) was found in April 2009 at 10.35 p.m. sleeping in a tree at about 2.5 m above the ground, with an air temperature of 24.9°C and a humidity of 73%. It contained 5 oval eggs, 3 in the left and 2 in the right oviduct. In average these eggs had a length of 27.5 mm and a width of 16.2 mm. In December 2009, we collected 4 gravid females (ZFMK 90824, 90827, 90829, 90830) in different stages of gestation between 8–10.30 p.m. sleeping on trees in 2–5.5 m above the ground. Air temperature was between 25.5°C–28°C and humidity was between 55–75%. ZFMK 90824 contained 10 almost spherical eggs with a diameter of 12 mm, of which 7 were positioned in the left and 3 in the right ovary. ZFMK 90827 contained 7 almost spherical eggs with a diameter of 6 mm of which 3 were positioned in the left and 4 in the right ovary. ZFMK 90829 contained 7 almost spherical eggs with a diameter of 8.9 mm of which 4 were positioned in the left and 3 in the right ovary. ZFMK 90830 contained 4 almost spherical eggs with a diameter of 9.4 mm, 2 were positioned in each of the ovaries.
(
Summary of morphometric and pholidosis characters of
Sex | All# (n=27) | Males (n=10) | Females (n=15) |
Axilla-groin length/SVL | 0.45–0.61<br/> (0.53 ± 0.03) | 0.45–0.55<br/> (0.53 ± 0.03) | 0.45–0.61<br/> (0.53 ± 0.04) |
Head length/SVL | 0.16–0.25<br/> (0.22 ± 0.02) | 0.18–0.25<br/> (0.22 ± 0.02) | 0.16–0.24<br/> (0.22 ± 0.02) |
Head length/Head width | 1.10–1.6<br/> (1.42 ± 0.15) | 0.93–1.56<br/> (1.38 ± 0.20) | 1.10–1.6<br/> (1.44 ± 0.13) |
Head width/Head height | 0.9–1.34<br/> (1.11 ± 0.13) | 0.97–1.34<br/> (1.07 ± 0.13) | 0.9–1.29<br/> (1.14 ± 0.14) |
Tail length/SVL | 2.36–3.55<br/> (3.10 ± 0.28) | 3.08–3.55<br/> (3.30 ± 0.16) | 2.36–3.55<br/> (2.99 ± 0.28) |
Scales around midbody | 63–82<br/> (73.0 ± 5.4) | 63–75<br/> (68.4 ± 3.27) | 66–82<br/> (76.33 ± 4.42) |
Vertebral scales | 75–105<br/> (89.15 ± 7.15) | 75–93<br/> (84.6 ± 5.56) | 84–105<br/> (93.13 ± 5.97) |
Gular scales | 22–33<br/> (28.59 ± 2.36) | 22–30<br/> (26.9 ± 2.28) | 27–33<br/> (29.8 ± 1.78) |
Diameter eye/head length | 0.27–0.49<br/> (0.33 ± 0.05) | 0.30–0.49<br/> (0.35 ± 0.05) | 0.27–0.41<br/> (0.31 ± 0.03) |
Subdigitals finger IV | 25–36<br/> (31.52 ± 2.79) | 30–36<br/> (33.0 ± 1.94) | 25–36<br/> (30.87 ± 2.8) |
Subdigitals toe IV | 35–45<br/> (40.81 ± 2.43) | 38–44<br/> (41.2 ± 2.15) | 37–45<br/> (41.07 ± 2.28) |
Forelimbs/SVL | 0.37–0.54<br/> (0.47 ± 0.04) | 0.37–0.54<br/> (0.49 ± 0.04) | 0.38–0.53<br/> (0.46 ± 0.04) |
Hindlimbs/SVL | 0.46– 0.73<br/> (0.59 ± 0.06) | 0.56– 0.73<br/> (0.63 ± 0.06) | 0.46– 0.63<br/> (0.57 ± 0.05) |
Femoral pores (left) | 9–21<br/> (14.76 ± 3.15) | 14–19<br/> (15.7 ± 1.49) | 9–21<br/> (13.93 ± 3.87) |
# 10 males, 15 females, 2 juveniles
Male specimen of
Paravertebral scales mostly keeled, only some are smooth; lateral body scales smooth or with 1–3 keels, fore- and hindlimbs dorsally with one or more keels, ventrally multicarinate. Ventral body scales with 1–5 keels.
Other morphological characters of the 27 examined individuals are summarized in
Descriptions of the colouration in life (
From northwestern Honduras and western Costa Rica to northwestern Ecuador (
Despite its restriction to humid forests, it is strictly diurnal and arboreal and is rarely seen (
As explained in very detail by
Summary of morphometric and pholidosis characters of
Sex | All (n=4) | Males (n=2) | Females (n=2) |
---|---|---|---|
Axilla-groin length/SVL | 0.5–0.55<br/> (0.52 ± 0.02) | 0.52–0.54<br/> (0.53 ± 0.01) | 0.5–0.55<br/> (0.52 ± 0.01) |
Head length/SVL | 0.19–0.24<br/> (0.21 ± 0.03) | 0.19<br/> (0.91 ± 0.0) | 0.24<br/> (0.24 ± 0.03) |
Head length/Head width | 1.16–1.84<br/> (1.49 ± 0.28) | 1.16–1.84<br/> (1.50 ± 0.48) | 1.41–1.55<br/> (1.48 ± 0.17) |
Head width/Head height | 0.9–1.12<br/> (1.00 ± 0.08) | 0.93–0.95<br/> (0.94 ± 0.01) | 1.01–1.12<br/> (1.07 ± 0.13) |
Tail length/SVL | 2.97–3.20<br/> (3.07 ± 0.12) | 2.97–3.20<br/> (3.09 ± 0.16) | 2.97–3.14<br/> (3.06 ± 0.0) |
Scales around midbody | 64–82<br/> (67.5 ± 4.73) | 64–74<br/> (66.0 ± 2.83) | 64–68<br/> (69.0 ± 2.83) |
Vertebral scales | 85–94<br/> (87.75 ± 4.72) | 85–87<br/> (86.0 ± 1.41) | 85–94<br/> (89.5 ± 1.41) |
Gular scales | 24–29<br/> (27.25 ± 2.36) | 27–29<br/> (28.0 ± 1.41) | 24–29<br/> (26.5 ± 3.54) |
Diameter eye/head length | 0.35–0.42<br/> (0.38 ± 0.03) | 0.40–0.42<br/> (0.41 ± 0.01) | 0.35<br/> (0.35 ± 0.04) |
Subdigitals finger IV | 27–31<br/> (29.0 ± 1.63) | 29–31<br/> (30.0 ± 1.41) | 27–29<br/> (28.0 ± 1.41) |
Subdigitals toe IV | 36–38<br/> (37.25 ± 0.96) | 36–38<br/> (37.0 ± 1.41) | 37–38<br/> (37.5 ± 0.71) |
Forelimbs/SVL | 0.43–0.51<br/> (0.47 ± 0.04) | 0.45–0.51<br/> (0.48 ± 0.04) | 0.43–0.50<br/> (0.46 ± 0.06) |
Hindlimbs/SVL | 0.54– 0.64<br/> (0.60 ± 0.04) | 0.54– 0.60<br/> (0.57 ± 0.04) | 0.63– 0.64<br/> (0.64 ± 0.02) |
Femoral pores (left) | 12–15<br/> (13.75 ± 1.26) | 14–15<br/> (14.5 ± 0.71) | 12–14<br/> (13.0 ± 2.12) |
Based on our observations, there is no evidence to support the recognition of
Our field work resulted in the discovery of yet another undescribed species of
For allowing access to herpetological collections, we are grateful to J. Cordova and C. Aguilar (MUSM), O. Torres-Carvajal (QCAZ), G. Köhler (SMF) and P. Campbell (BM). We are indebted to A. Schmitz (MHNG) for the loan of material. We thank Jacqueline Maria Charles for her financial support. CK thanks the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), the Alexander Koenig Stiftung (AKS) and the Alexander Koenig Gesellschaft (AKG) for financial support. The Ministero de Agricultura, Peru kindly provided collecting (071-2007-INRENA-IFFS-DCB, 0020-2009-AG-DGFFS-DGEFFS, 0424-2010-AG-DGFFS-DGEFFS)and export permits (0017799-AG-INRENA, 001829-AG-DGFFS, 003983-AG-DGFFS). We are indebted to M. León and G. Köhler for providing photo material of live specimens, and to the latter also for his constructive comments during the review of the manuscript. Melissa Koch (English native speaker) kindly proofread the manuscript. Erick Hoyos Granda and Jorge Novoa Cova assisted during the field work and contributed greatly to the success of the field trips. Andreas Kirschner and Uwe Schlüter provided useful information.