Saurodactylus, Fitzinger, 1843

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 : 423

Key to the species in the genus Saurodactylus

1a) Dorsal scales heterogenous, with interspersed larger granules on lower back; about 50 scales between the eyes; in adults, back with blackish, transverse bands often lined with white dots............................................ S. fasciatus

1b) Dorsal scalation homogeneous; about 30 scales between the eyes; back without transverse bands ( S. splendidus has transversely oriented white dorsal patches that may appear like transverse bands, but are usually interrupted in the middle of back [see Figs. 14 and 15 ]).......................................................................................... 2

2a) Median subcaudal scales of trapezoid shape; brown temporal stripe not bordered with white.............. S. mauritanicus

2b) Median subcaudal scales similar to lateral ones; brown temporal stripes bordered with white.......................... 3

3a) Dorsal pattern without large spots (little white or dark spots may be present)...................................... 4

3b) Dorsal pattern with large or fairly large spots............................................................... 6

4a) V-shaped whitish lines on top of head extending beyond shoulder; dark color on both body and tail... S. slimanii (pattern 8)

4b) V-shaped whitish lines on top of head not extending beyond shoulder (pattern 2)................................... 5

5a) Internasals usually in contact medially, separated from 1 st labials by two narrow shields (Fig. 4.1)............... S. brosseti

5b) Internasals separated from each bother by two small granules, and from 1 st labials by one or two small shields (Fig. 4.3)................................................................................................ S. harrisii

6a) Dorsal pattern of irregular large spots with dark margins...................................................... 7

6b) Dorsal pattern of regular large spots, arranged in two longitudinal rows.......................................... 9

7a) Dark color of both body and tail......................................................... S. slimanii (pattern 5)

7b) Tail of lighter color than body (pattern 1).................................................................. 8

8a) Internasals separated from each other by two granules (Fig. 4.8)......................................... S. harrisii

8b) Internasals in broad contact with each other (Figs. 4.4/4.5).......................................... S. elmoudenii

9a) Dorsal color black with two rows of four large, transverse (band-like) whitish patches between forelimbs and hindlimbs, tail black with whitish transverse bands (pattern 12)................................................... S. splendidus

9b) Back with more than four light spots in each of two rows between fore limbs and hind limbs; tail yellowish............. 10

10a) V-shaped whitish lines on top of head usually not extending beyond shoulder; internasals large, in broad contact with each other (Figs. 4.4/4.5)................................................................. S. elmoudenii (patterns 10/11)

10b) V-shaped whitish lines on top of head extending beyond shoulder; internasals smaller, more or less separated from each other by tiny granules (Fig. 4.6)............................................................. S. slimanii (pattern 9)

Figures

FIGURE 14. Holotype of Saurodactylus splendidus sp. nov. from dorsal (top), ventral (middle) and lateral (bottom) view. Photos by Achim Ritter & S. Javanmardi.

FIGURE 15. Paratype of Saurodactylus splendidus sp. nov. Photo by S. Javanmardi.