Hemiphyllodactylus uga, Grismer & Wood & Zug & Thura & Grismer & Murdoch & Quah & Lin, 2018

Grismer, L. Lee, Wood, Perry L., Zug, George R., Thura, Myint Kyaw, Grismer, Marta S., Murdoch, Matthew L., Quah, Evan S. H. & Lin, Aung, 2018, Two more new species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Shan Hills of eastern Myanmar (Burma), Zootaxa 4483 (2), pp. 295-316 : 310-312

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4483.2.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E406BBAB-13C6-4118-9E79-61E2F5EF8F98
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5980023
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/0390878F-6743-0D2A-F1C1-F8CEFBF9FABF
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Hemiphyllodactylus uga
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Hemiphyllodactylus uga sp. nov.

Uga’s Slender Gecko

( Figs 4 View FIGURE 4 , 5 View FIGURE 5 )

Hemphyllodactylus sp. nov. 8. Grismer et al. 2013:872, Grismer et al. 2014a:67, Grismer et al. 2014b:490, Ngo et al. 2014:541, Grismer et al. 2015:861 Hemiphyllodatylus cf. linnwayensis . Grismer et al. 2017b:31

Holotype. Adult male ( USNM 570733 View Materials ) collected on 22 August 2003 at 1955 hrs by George R. Zug, on handrail of elevated timber walkway in Kandawgyi National Gardens, Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region, Myanmar (21.9931°N 96.4711°E; 1125 m in elevation). GoogleMaps

Paratypes. Adult female ( USNM 570732) collected on 14 August 2003 at ~1500 hrs by monastic brother in rockpile, Yangon Monastery, 11 km ENE of Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Region, Myanmar (22°04.050 N 96° 33.811E, ~ 900 m elevation); adult females ( USNM 570734, 570735) same locality as holotype, 23 August 2003 by San Lwin Oo ~1900 hrs and 20 August 2003 by Jeremy F. Jacobs from jaws of a spider ~1970 hrs, respectively.

Diagnosis. Hemiphyllodactylus uga sp. nov. can be separated from all other species of Hemiphyllodactylus by possessing the unique combination of having a maximum SVL of 39.0 mm; 8–11 chin scales; enlarged postmentals; five circumnasal scales; two or three intersupranasals (=postrostrals); nine or 10 supralabials; 8–10 infralabials; 13–15 longitudinally arranged dorsal scales at midbody contained within one eye diameter and 6–8 ventral scales; varied digital formulae on hands and feet ( Table 5); two or three subdigital lamellae on the first finger and toe; 18–22 continuous, pore-bearing, femoroprecloacal scales in males; no plate-like subcaudal scales; adult females not yellow; a dark postorbital stripe extending to base of neck variably present; variable pairs of paravertebral light spots on trunk; no dark, dorsolateral stripe; no dark paravertebral markings on trunk; dorsal body pattern usually with dark zig-zag markings; postsacral marking not bearing light-colored anteriorly projecting arms; and ceacum and gonads unpigmented. These characters are scored across all species of the eastern Myanmar clade in Tables 5 and 6 and from all other species of Hemiphyllodactylus from southern China and western Thailand (clades 3 and 4 in Grismer et al. [2017b: Table 3]).

Description of holotype. Adult male; head triangular in dorsal profile, depressed, distinct from neck; lores and interorbital regions flat; rostrum moderate in length (NarEye/HeadL 0.33); prefrontal region weakly concave; canthus rostralis smoothly rounded, barely discernable; snout moderate, rounded in dorsal profile; eye large; ear opening elliptical, small; eye to ear distance greater than diameter of eye; rostral wider than high, bordered posteriorly by small supranasals; two intersupranasals (=postnasals); external nares bordered anteriorly by rostral, dorsally by supranasal, posteriorly by two postnasals, ventrally by first supralabial (=circumnasals); nine (R,L) rectangular supralabials tapering to below posterior margin of orbit; eight (R,L) rectangular infralabials tapering to below posterior margin of orbit; scales of rostrum, lores, top of head, and occiput small, granular, those of rostrum largest and slightly raised; dorsal superciliaries flat, mostly square, subimbricate, largest anteriorly; mental triangular, bordered laterally by first infralabials and posteriorly by two large postmentals; each postmental bordered laterally by a single enlarged, sublabial; eight chin scales; gular scales small, subimbricate, grading posteriorly into slightly larger, subimbricate, throat and even larger pectoral scales which grade into slightly larger, subimbricate ventrals.

Body somewhat elongate (Trunk/SVL 0.46), dorsoventrally compressed; ventrolateral folds absent; dorsal scales small, granular, 15 dorsal scales at midbody contained within one eye diameter; ventral scales, flat, subimbricate much larger than dorsal scales, seven ventral scales contained within one eye diameter; precloacal scales slightly larger than abdominal scales; pore-bearing precloacal scales continuous with pore-bearing femoral scales, totaling 18 femoroprecloacal pore-bearing scales; single cloacal spur on anterior margin of hemipenial swelling; forelimbs short, robust in stature, covered with flat, subimbricate scales dorsally and ventrally; palmar scales flat, subimbricate; all digits except digit I well-developed; digit I vestigial, clawless; distal subdigital lamellae of digits II–V undivided, angular and U-shaped, lamellae proximal to these transversely expanded; lamellar formula of digits II–V 3-3 -3-3 (R,L); two transversely expanded lamellae on digit I; claws on digits II–V well developed, unsheathed; distal portions of digits strongly curved, terminal joint free, arising from central portion of lamellar pad; hind limbs short, more robust than forelimbs, covered with flat, juxtaposed scales dorsally and by larger, flat subimbricate scales ventrally; plantar scales low, flat, subimbricate; all digits except digit I welldeveloped; digit I vestigial, clawless; distal subdigital lamellae of digits II–V undivided, angular and U-shaped, lamellae proximal to these transversely expanded; lamellar formula of digits II–V 3-3 -3-3 (R,L); two transversely expanded lamellae on digit I; claws on digits II–V well developed, unsheathed; distal portions of digits strongly curved, terminal joint free, arising from central portion of lamellar pad; dorsal caudal scales of original tail subimbricate, larger than dorsal body scales, grading laterally into larger, slightly flared scales bearing elevated posterior margins; subcaudal scales larger than dorsal caudals, flat, imbricate, not plate-like; posterior 3 mm of tail regenerated. Morphometric data are presented in Table 6.

Coloration in life ( Fig. 4 View FIGURE 4 ). All Hemiphyllodactylus are capable of considerable change in the intensity and boldness of their coloration and pattern. The description below is of that at the time the specimens were photographed. Ground color of top of head, body, limbs, and tail beige; top of head bearing small, diffuse, dark markings; thin, dark, preorbital stripe extends through eye to shoulder region; pairs of irregularly shaped, dark paravertebral markings on dorsum extend from nape to postsacral region; smaller, indistinct dark markings on flanks; limbs bearing irregularly shaped, dark markings; postsacral marking indistinct, not bearing anteriorly projecting arms; dark markings on dorsal surface of tail evenly spaced; gular region generally immaculate, except for darker lateral areas and faint stippling in scales; and pigmentation density increases posteriorly with the abdomen being generally gray.

Variation ( Figs. 4 View FIGURE 4 , 5 View FIGURE 5 ). The color patterns of the paratypes (USNM 570732, 570735) generally match that of the holotype. USNM 570732 has a slightly bolder zig-zag dorsal pattern and a dark ventrolatral stripe on the flanks and a regenerated, nearly unicolor tail. The color pattern of USNM 570735 is more faint than that of the holoype and the dark dorsal markings both on the dorsum and the tail ae much thinner. USNM 570734 has a much darker, nearly unicolor dorsal pattern and greatly swollen endolymphatic sacs. Differences in scales counts are presented in Table 6.

Distribution. Hemiphyllodactylus uga sp. nov. is known only from the type locality of the Pyin Oo Lwin, Kandawgyi National Gardens, Pyin Oo Lwin, Mandalay Division, Myanmar ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).

Natural History. Three individuals were found on the handrails of a wooden canopy walkway built within an evergreen forest of the National Garden. The walkway and forest were visited on five nights but Hemiphyllodactylus uga was found only on two of those nights.

Etymology. The specific name recognizes and honors the late U Uga. He was a conservationist and a former director of the Nature and Wildlife Conservation Division (NWCD), Myanmar Forestry Department. He encouraged Joseph B. Slowinski and George R. Zug to do an all-country herpetofaunal survey and established the administrative protocol to establish and support survey teams of NWCD wildlife rangers. These teams working independently and with CAS and USNM collaborators were the essential factor for the high productivity and success of the Myanmar Herpetological Survey (MHS).

Comparisons. The molecular analyses indicate that Hemiphyllodactylus uga sp. nov. is embedded within eastern Myanmar clade and forms a monophyletic group with H. linnwayensis and H. ywnaganensis sp. nov. See Comparisons section above for comparisons with H. ywanganensis . Hemiphyllodactlus uga sp. nov. is separated from H. montawaensis , H. tonywhitteni , and H. linnwayensis in have a higher mean number of chin scales (9.3 vs 6.3, p = 0.03; 9.3 vs 6.6, p = 0.05; 9.3 vs 5.0, p = 0.003, respectively; Table 7). It differs further from H. linnwayensis , H. tonywhitteni , and H. montawaensis in having a lower mean number of lamellae on the first toe (2.3 vs 4.5, p = 0.03; 2.3 vs 3.3 p = 0.002, respectively; Table 7). It differs even further from H. montawaensis in that adult females are not yellow and it lacks a reticulated dorsal pattern ( Table 5)..