Petracola amazonensis, Mamani & Vargas & Chaparro & Catenazzi, 2023

Mamani, Luis, Vargas, Víctor J., Chaparro, Juan C. & Catenazzi, Alessandro, 2023, Two new species of gymnophthalmid lizards of the genus Petracola (Squamata: Cercosaurinae) from the Andes of northeastern Peru, and their phylogenetic relationships, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 328) 173 (1), pp. 161-173 : 163-166

Petracola amazonensis sp. nov.

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Holotype. MUBI 11485 , adult female ( Figs. 2–4 ) from Upa , bridle path to Yurumarca , District of Chiliquin , Province of Chachapoyas, Department of Amazonas, Peru (6°0’9.19” S; 77°49’21.08” W; ca. 3,020 m asl), collected by Juan C. Chaparro on 23 May 2012.

Paratypes. Two specimens: A subadult male ( MUBI 11473 ) and a subadult female ( MUBI 11474 ) from near the type locality (5°59’40.27” S; 77°48’36.26” W; 3,250 m asl), collected by Juan C. Chaparro and Alexander Pari on 22 May 2012.

Etymology. The specific epithet, amazonensis , is an adjective in reference to the type locality in the Department of Amazonas, northern Peru.

Diagnosis: Petracola amazonensis is diagnosed based on the following combination of characters: (1) frontonasal longer than frontal; (2) nasoloreal suture absent; (3) two supraoculars; (4) one superciliary scale expanded on dorsal surface of head; (5) two postoculars; (6) palpebral disc transparent, entire or divided vertically in two; (7) four supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the subocular; (8) 3–4 anterior infralabials; (9) four genials in contact; (10) three rows of pregulars; (11) dorsal body scales rectangular, smooth, juxtaposed; (12) 25–28 scales around midbody; (13) 31–32 transverse dorsal rows; (14) 18–19 transverse ventral rows; (15) 17–20 longitudinal dorsal rows; (16) 8–9 longitudinal ventral rows; (17) a continuous series of small lateral scales separate dorsals from ventral scales; (18) 2–4 posterior cloacal plate scales; (19) two anterior preanal plate scales; (20) four femoral pores per hind limb in males, two in females; (21) preanal pores absent; (22) 7–9 subdigital lamellae on finger IV; 11–14 subdigital lamellae on toe IV; (23) limbs not overlapping when adpressed against body; (24) pentadactyl, digits clawed; and (25) coloration of female in life: dorsum is brown with numerous dark spots distributed irregularly from tip of head to tail, flanks are similar to dorsum, the chin and throat are pale orange with large black spots, venter mostly orange, with black spots on anterior part of ventral scales forming longitudinal lines ( Fig. 4 ); coloration of males in life is unknown; in preservative the dorsum is similar to coloration in life, and venter changes from orange to cream ( Fig. 2 ).

Petracola amazonensis can be distinguished from P. angustisoma and P. pajatensis by lacking a loreal scale (loreal scale present in P. angustisoma and P. pajatensis ); from P. labioocularis by lacking precloacal pores and posterior subocular is not elongated downward (precloacal pores present and posterior subocular is elongated downward and separates supralabials in P. labioocularis ); from P. waka by having two genials in contact, first superciliary scale, and venter is orange with black spots forming transverse bands (three genials in contact, four continuous superciliary scales, and venter is cream with some small, black spots in P. waka ); from P. ventrimaculatus by having a maximum SVL in males of 43.0 mm, dorsum dark brown with some black spots not forming bands, and first superciliary only ( maximum SVL in females 59.0 mm, dorsum light brown with continuous black dorsal bands, and 2–3 discontinuous superciliaries in P. ventrimaculatus ).

Description of the holotype. Adult female, snout– vent length (SVL) 43.0 mm, tail length 42.3 mm (regenerated); head scales smooth, without striations or rugosities; rostral scale wider (1.5 mm) than tall (0.8 mm), in contact with frontonasal, nasals, and first supralabials; frontonasal longer (2.5 mm) than wide (1.7 mm), longer than frontal scale, widest in the middle, in contact with rostral, nasal, first superciliary, and frontal; prefrontal absent; frontal longer that wide, pentagonal, in contact with first supraocular and frontoparietals; frontoparietal paired, polygonal (hexagonal), in contact with frontal, supraoculars, parietals, and interparietals; two supraoculars, in contact with superciliaries, frontal, frontoparietals, interparietal, and postoculars; parietals polygonal (irregular heptagon), in contact with frontoparietals, posterior supraocular, postocular, interparietal, temporals, supratemporals laterally, and with postparietals posteriorly; interparietals hexagonal, in contact with frontoparietals anteriorly, parietals laterally, and with postparietal posteriorly; two polygonal postparietals, joined in the middle by a small surface. Nasal scale entire, longer than high, in contact with first supralabial; loreal scale absent; left side with first superciliary, on right side with a posterior rudimentary posterior superciliary, first superciliaries expand on dorsal surface of head; two small preoculars; frenocular trapezoidal in contact with second supralabial; palpebral disc entire and transparent; three suboculars on right side and two on left side; two postoculars; temporals and supratemporals smooth, polygonal; four supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the suboculars. Mental wider than long, in contact with the first infralabial and postmental posteriorly; postmental single, polygonal (irregular pentagonal), in contact with first and second infralabials, and first pair of genials; four genials in contact; three transversal rows of pregular scales, in the anterior row they are large; five rows of gular scales, quadrangular and circular. Dorsal scales rectangular with blunt edges, juxtaposed, smooth, 32 transverse rows; 17 longitudinal dorsal rows at midbody; a continuous series of small lateral scales; reduced scales at limb insertion region; 18 transverse ventral rows; eight longitudinal ventral rows at midbody; anterior and posterior preanal plate paired; scales on the tail rectangular, subimbricate, and smooth; ventral scales quadrangular, juxtaposed, and smooth. Limbs pentadactyl; digits clawed; dorsal brachial scales polygonal, imbricate, and smooth with blunt edges; ventral brachial scales small, rounded, and smooth; dorsal antebrachial scales polygonal, imbricate and smooth; ventral antebrachial scales rounded, smooth, smaller than dorsal; dorsal manus scales polygonal, smooth, imbricate; palmar scales small, rounded, and domelike; dorsal scales on fingers smooth, quadrangular, imbricate, two on finger I, three on II, five on III, five on IV, and four on V; two subdigital lamellae on finger I, five on finger II, seven on finger III, seven on finger IV, five on finger V; scales on anterodorsal surface of thigh polygonal, smooth, imbricate; scales on posterior surface of thigh small, rounded, and separated; scales on ventral surface of thighs polygonal with blunt edges, smooth, imbricate, polygonal and juxtaposed; two femoral pores on each thigh; scales on anterior surface of crus polygonal, smooth, imbricate, decreasing in size distally; scales on posterodorsal surface of crus smooth, polygonal, and imbricate; scales on ventral surface of crus polygonal, enlarged, smooth, and imbricate; scales on dorsal surface of feet polygonal, smooth, and imbricate; scales on ventral surface of feet rounded, small, and domelike; dorsal scale of toes smooth, imbricate, two on toe I, four on toe II, five on toe III, six on IV, five on toe V; four subdigital lamellae on toe I, seven on toe II, nine on toe III, 13 on toe IV, eight on toe V. Coloration in life was described in diagnosis; in preservative, dorsum, dorsal surface of head, neck, arms, and legs brown with irregular, black spots; venter, chin, neck, arms, and legs gray with black spots, on venter black spots form transverse bands ( Fig. 4 ).

Variation. The most notable variation was the number of infraoculars: adult female with 2–3 (left-right), juvenile male with 1–2, and juvenile female with 3–3; adult female with a rudimentary posterior superciliar on the right side; juvenile male with three anterior infralabials on the right side and three postparietals; and adult female with 25 scales around body and 28 on juveniles.

Distribution and ecology. Petracola amazonensis is only known from the type locality, Upa near Yurumarca, from 3,020 –3,250 m asl ( Fig. 5 ), District of Chiliquin, Province of Chachapoyas, Department of Amazonas ( Fig. 6 ). All specimens were found in grassland during March (rainy season). The specimen MUBI 11473 was found under rocks, MUBI 11474 inside bromeliads of the genus Tillandsia , and MUBI 11485 walking on grassland near a creek and a forest. Petracola amazonensis is likely diurnal and semifossorial. Syntopic Squamata species include Stenocercus orientalis . Tree vegetation is dominated by Podocarpus ( Podocarpaceae ), Alnus ( Betulaceae ), Weinmannia (Cunnoniaceae), Ceroxylon ( Arecaceae ) and Hyeronima ( Euphorbiaceae ). Dominant species in the shrub layer include Macrocarpaea ( Gentianaceae ), Munnozia ( Asteraceae ), Chusquea ( Poaceae ), and Piper ( Piperaceae ); and herbs Anthurium ( Araceae ), Tillandsia ( Bromeliaceae ), orchids ( Orchidaceae ) and Peperomia ( Piperaceae ).

Conservation. Petracola amazonensis was found in a small area in the district of Chiliquin ( Fig. 5 ), and we suspect it might be endemic to the Department of Amazonas. The type locality is 2.5–3.0 km from the Private Conservation Area “Comunal San Pablo - Catarata Gocta,” and it is very likely that the species is distributed within this conservation area. In general, the habitat where we conducted our herpetological surveys was in an acceptable state of conservation in May 2012. Given the lack of knowledge regarding its geographic distribution, we recommend that P. amazonensis be categorized as Data Deficient in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN 2022).

Figures

Fig. 2. Holotype of Petracola amazonensis, female MUBI 11485 (SVL = 43.0 mm, TL = 42.3 mm).

Fig. 3. Drawings of lateral, dorsal, and ventral views of the head of the holotype (MUBI 11485) of Petracola amazonensis.

Fig. 4. Holotype in life of Petracola amazonensis from Upa (MUBI 11485, SVL= 43.0 mm, TL = 42.3 mm, female).

Fig. 5. Type locality of Petracola amazonensis, Upa, District of Chiliquin, Province of Chachapoyas, Department ofAmazonas.

Fig. 6. Map showing the type localities of Petracola species: Petracola amazonensis (blue cross), P. angustisoma (red circle),P.labioocularis (light blue triangle), P.pajatensis (green pentagon), P. shurugojalcapi (yellow star), P. ventrimaculatus (purple cross), and P. waka (orange diamond).