Saurodactylus slimanii, Javanmardi & Vogler & Joger, 2019

Javanmardi, Soheila, Vogler, Sven & Joger, Ulrich, 2019, Phylogenetic differentiation and taxonomic consequences in the Saurodactylus brosseti species complex (Squamata: Sphaerodactylidae), with description of four new species, Zootaxa 4674 (4), pp. 401-425 : 413-414

Saurodactylus slimanii sp. nov. Joger & Javanmardi, 2019 (Eastern clade)

Distribution: known from two areas at the southern margin of the High Atlas chain: one around Ouarzazate and the other one further east near Tinghir (present study; Rosado et al. 2017).

Derivatio nominis: We name this new taxon in honor of Tahar Slimani, who initiated the collaboration between our laboratories and accompanied us on a number of successful field trips in Morocco. The patronym was latinized as Slimanius and then placed into the masculine genitive singular.

Diagnosis. Dorsum usually brown or blackish (no light morphs are known). In specimens with darker back, tail is dark, too. Dorsal spots often arranged in two longitudinal rows. Light dorsolateral streaks on both sides of head usually extending beyond neck/shoulder (not in the holotype). The diagnosis may be extendable to scalation characters, as the holotype shows some unique characteristics (see below). However, as no additional specimens other than the holotype could be studied in this regard, we refrain from doing so.

Holotype: SNMB-N 60871 (deposited at State Natural History Museum Braunschweig, Germany); collected by Ulrich Joger and Ralf Kosma on 23 May 2014, 10 km south of Ouarzazate , Morocco.

Description of holotype. Adult female; SVL = 30.08 mm; HL = 9.05 mm; HW = 5.9 mm; HD = 3.45 mm; ED = 1.72 mm; FL = 9.02 mm; HdL = 13.04 mm; TL = 28.64 mm.

Mental shield large, pointed behind. Two pairs of postmentals, first pair larger, in contact; 6 supralabials and 5 infralabials on each side. Two large internasals; one additional wedge-shaped scale lying between postnasal and internasal. Nostril bordered by five shields: the rostral, internasal, postnasal and first supralabial. Dorsal scales of head smooth, homogenous, small and granular; 25 interorbital and 9 loreal scales; ventral scales of head small and flat; 43 scales at the broadest width of head; 42 scales between mental shield and gular line. Dorsal scales of body small, smooth and juxtaposed, slightly larger on the lateral sides; ventral scales of body large, plate like and sub-imbricate; 20 longitudinal rows of ventrals at midbody; 32 ventrals from level of axilla to level of groin; 10 precloacal scales; 71 dorsals between axilla and groin; 51 longitudinal rows of dorsals at midbody. Tail tapering and cylindrical; scales on the dorsal surface of the tail larger than those of the body, homogenous and sub-imbricate. Subcaudals slightly smaller than supracaudals; median row of subcaudal scales larger. Digits minute and short, slightly bent, without any ornamentation; 16 subdigital lamellae under the fourth toe.

Color pattern. Dorsum dark smoky brown with medium to large whitish spots surrounded by a dark shade; scattered individual yellowish scales on flanks; yellowish white stripes extending from internasals to the temporal region (not reaching the ear opening); four small spots on each side of the neck; coloration of limbs same as dorsum; venter mostly dark; dorsal surface of the tail mostly black in background, speckled with yellow, more or less rounded spots, each followed by a few brown scales posteriorly; distal part of the tail striped with black and yellow; ventral surface of the tail yellow, posterior margins of the scales dotted with black ( Fig. 9 ).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Holotype of Saurodactylus slimanii sp. nov. from dorsal (top) and ventral (bottom) view. Photos by S. Javanmardi.