Tupinambis Daudin

Harvey, Michael B., Ugueto, Gabriel N. & Gutberlet, Ronald L., 2012, 3459, Zootaxa 3459, pp. 1-156 : 140-142

Tupinambis Daudin

Figure 78

Tupinambis Daudin 1802: 20 . Type species Tupinambis monitor Daudin (= Tupinambis teguixin ) by subsequent designation (Burt & Burt 1933).

Tutor Goldfuss 1820: 168 . Type species Monitor americanus Goldfuss.

Custa Fleming 1822: 274 . Type species Lacerta teguixin Linnaeus by subsequent designation ( Peters & Donoso-Barros 1970).

Exypnestes Kaup 1826: 88 . Type species Tupinambis monitor Daudin.

Ctenodus Wagler 1828: 860 . Type species Tupinambis nigropunctatus Spix.

Podinema Wagler 1830: 153 . Type species Lacerta teguixin Linnaeus.

Ctenodon Wagler 1830: 153 . Type species Tupinambis nigropunctatus Spix.

Teguixin Gray 1831: 29. Type species Lacerta teguixin Linnaeus.

Gymnogomphius Wagler 1833: 892 . Type species Lacerta teguixin Linnaeus.

Diagnosis.— Tupinambis can be distinguished from all other teiids by the combination of smooth dorsals, one loreal, a gap of granular scales separating femoral from abdominal pores, and a cylindrical tail with complete annuli alternating with annuli divided on the dorsal and lateral sides of the tail.

Content.— Tupinambis longilineus Avila-Pires , Tupinambis palustris Manzani and Abe , Tupinambis quadrilineatus Manzani and Abe , and Tupinambis teguixin (Linnaeus) .

Definition.—Large lizards reaching 400 mm SVL ( Tupinambis teguixin ); tail 1.7–2.1X as long as body; posterior maxillary and dentary teeth longitudinally compressed, tricuspid in juveniles, becoming molariform in adults; pupil reniform.

Prefrontal separated from nasal, contacting first supraciliary; frontal entire, lacking longitudinal ridge; posterior suture of frontal contacting second supraocular; scales of frontoparietal region smooth, outwardly convex to flat; keyhole shaped depression absent; frontoparietals paired; parietals consisting of three regular scales; interparietal entire, variable in size; medial pair of enlarged occipitals absent; occipitals 7–14, larger than or subequal to scales in first row of dorsals; supratemporals forming distinctive row of large, angulate scales behind supraciliaries ( Tupinambis longilineus and T. teguixin ) or only moderately enlarged ( T. quadrilineatus and T. palustris ); supratemporals separated from parietals by one or more scales (in contact with parietals in holotype of T. longilineus ).

Rostral groove absent; nostril subcircular to subtriangular, usually positioned somewhat posterior to nasal suture; loreal single; supraoculars eight; first supraocular entire, smaller than or subequal to fourth supraocular, in contact with second supraocular; circumorbital semicircles consisting of 0–2 scales, restricted to posterior border of fourth supraocular when present; supraciliaries subequal, 16–20, in contact with supraoculars (i.e., lateral supraocular granules absent); angulate keel extending from first subocular to suboculars below eye; suboculars 5–7; suboculars below eye contacting supralabials; first subocular contacting first supraciliary and supralabials; scales in front of auditory meatus slightly ( Tupinambis longilineus , T. quadrilineatus , T. teguixin ) to distinctly ( T. palustris ) enlarged; auricular flap and preauricular fold absent.

Supralabials 13–16; first supralabial usually subequal to second, its ventral margin straight; infralabials 13–16; first pair of chinshields usually in contact with infralabials; first pair of chinshields in medial contact; interangular sulcus absent; anterior gulars 15–24; gular patch absent; posterior gulars 9–12; intertympanic sulcus filled with small granular scales, complete medially; larger anterior gulars undergoing transition to smaller posterior gulars at intertympanic sulcus; mesoptychials not to slightly enlarged, not forming differentiated transverse row or serrated edge of gular fold.

Dorsals round and flat, smooth; scales on flank subequal to middorsals, not supported by small apical granules; scales on rump slightly smaller than proximal subcaudals; scales of chest large and flat; pectoral sulcus absent; ventrals smooth, in 31–36 transverse and 20–28 longitudinal rows; subrectangular scales lateral to ventrals gradually decreasing in size on flanks, bordering transverse folds of skin; preanals 5–8; preanal plate present ( Tupinambis longilineus and T. teguixin ) or absent ( T. palustris and T. quadrilineatus ); preanal spurs and postanal plates absent; postcloacal buttons present in males; scales on dorsolateral edge of tail like those on top and sides, denticulate edge and dorsolateral crests absent; complete caudal annuli alternating with annuli complete ventrally but divided on sides and dorsum of tail; proximal subcaudals smooth.

Preaxial, dorsal, and postaxial sides of brachium and antebrachium covered in scales longer than wide; scales on proximal, ventral surface of antebrachium slightly enlarged (scales largest on preaxial and dorsal brachium and antebrachium, grading to granular scales postaxially); subdigital lamellae of hand homogeneous in size, mostly divided, 10–18 under fourth finger.

Prefemorals 18; femoral and abdominal pores 16–33; each compound pore-bearing scale consisting of partially fused prefemoral or abdominal scale and 2 or more granular scales (some pores opening within single scales in Tupinambis palustris ); 2–4 scales separating abdominal pore series medially; distal-most femoral pores usually not separated from others; gap of 3–5 granular scales separating femoral from abdominal pores; scales at heel relatively small and numerous; tibiotarsal spurs and shields absent; lamellae under fourth toe 28–38; distal lamellae of fourth toe smooth; continuous rows of small granular scales separating digital lamellae along postaxial edge of each toe; noticeably enlarged postaxial scales between fourth and fifth toe absent; fifth toe well-developed, base of its claw extending beyond level of skin between third and fourth toes when adpressed, but not surpassing proximal free phalangeal articulation of fourth toe.

β- keratin containing layers of dorsals lacking macrohoneycomb, instead uniformly covered in simple lamellae; long aligned macroridges covering supracaudal scales of hatchlings (at least in T. teguixin ), lost during ontogeny; large middorsal trunk scales usually with three lenticular scale organs, one on either side of each scale at its posterior one-fourth, one centered at its posterior edge; scales on flanks usually with one lenticular organ positioned near posterior, medial edge; caudals usually with two scale organs, one elongate located posteriorly on medial side of keel (i.e., to left of keel on right side of tail, right of keel on left side of tail), another rounded and located terminally, but not atop keel; ventrals lacking scale organs; generation glands apparently absent.

Snout same color as dorsal head scales. In juveniles, light vertebral stripe absent; light paravertebral stripes absent (most species) or present but conspicuously broken into longitudinal row of spots ( Tupinambis quadrilineatus ); dark dorsolateral field absent; dorsolateral light stripe broken into longitudinal row of spots but extending to tail ( T. longilineus , T. quadrilineatus ) or not well defined to absent ( T. palustris , T. teguixin ); dark lateral field solid ( T. longilineus ) or not well defined to absent (most species. The dorsolateral and lateral fields of some specimens of T. teguixin seem to be broken into irregularly or badly defined blotches, most distinct towards the scapular region); upper and lower lateral light stripes absent; thigh lacking light spots. Adult males lacking spots or ocelli on flanks; turquoise ventrolateral spots absent; venter with large melanic areas or blotches ( T. palustris , T. teguixin ) or mostly immaculate ( T. longilineus , T. quadrilineatus ); juvenile dorsal color pattern present in adult males without or only slight modification.

Morphology of hemipenis unknown (see Remarks).

Etymology.— The generic name Tupinambis is a masculine Latin noun in the nominative singular apparently referring to the Tupinambá indigenous tribe, one of several Tupi ethnic groups that inhabited Brazil at the time of the conquest.

Distribution.— Tupinambis extends from the Chocó of Colombia eastward to northern Venezuela, Trinidad, Tobago, and the humid lowlands of Amazonia and the Guianas. Additional species occur south of Amazonia in the Cerrados of Bolivia and southern Brazil. Although T. teguixin was recently reported from Playas del Tirano, Isla de Margarita, Venezuela ( Rivas et al. 2005), its presence on that island is doubtful ( Ugueto & Rivas 2010).

Remarks.— Dowling and Duellman (1978, their figure 83.2) published an illustration of the sulcate side of the hemipenis of “ Tupinambis nigropunctatus .” These authors did not provide a museum number and the drawing could be based either on Tupinambis or Salvator . This small figure does not show most characters of importance. The sulcus flares out into large triangular catchment folds as in Salvator . Laminae are visible but cannot be counted. Apical features are not evident in the drawing.