Tropiocolotes hormozganensis, Rajabizadeh & Faizi & Anderson & Zarrintab & Nazarov, 2018

Rajabizadeh, Mahdi, Faizi, Hiva, Anderson, Steven C., Zarrintab, Mohammad & Nazarov, Roman, 2018, Taxonomic status of Tropiocolotes cf. steudneri with a description of a new species of Tropiocolotes (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) in southern Iran, Zootaxa 4388 (2), pp. 283-291 : 286-288

Tropiocolotes hormozganensis sp. nov.

( Figures 3E–H , 4 & 5 )

Chresonyms: Tropiocolotes steudneri ( Peters, 1869) , Guibé, 1966 (ex errore). Tropiocolotes cf. steudneri, Anderson 1999 .

Holotype: Adult Male, ICSTZM6H1296, Iran, Hormozgan Province, about 10 km west of Bandar-e Khamir, ChahDeraz plain (26°58' N 56°16' E); collected by F. Mokhlesi, October, 2008 ( Figure 4 ).

Paratype: ZFMK 96464 , same locality as holotype.

Additional referred specimens. ICSTZM6H1052 and ICSTZM6H1053, Iran, Hormozgan Province, about 10 km west of Bandar-e Khamir, Chah Deraz plain (26°58' N 56°16' E); ICSTZM6H1236, Fars Province, about 15 km north of Evaz city, Evaz plain (27°50' N 54°01' E). These additional specimens are in poor condition, with particularly soft bodies and so have not been included as paratypes .

Diagnosis. Tropiocolotes hormozganensis sp. nov. differs from T. tripolitanus , T. scorteccii , T. algericus , T. somalicus , and T. bisharicus by possessing weakly keeled dorsal scales and smooth ventral scales (dorsal and ventral scales are strongly keeled in T. tripolitanus , T. scorteccii , T. algericus , T. somalicus , and T. bisharicus ). It differs from T. nattereri in possessing clearly tricarinate subdigital scales (smooth subdigital scales in the latter species) and from T. wolfgangboehmei and T. naybandensis by having a lower number of scales around midbody (58–59 in T. wolfgangboehmei and 56–60 in T. naybandensis versus 48–55 in Tropiocolotes hormozganensis sp.

nov.). It is distinguished from T. nubicus by having imbricate scales on both dorsal and ventral surfaces of the tail ( versus homogenous imbricate scalation on the anterior dorsal and ventral surfaces of tail becoming increasingly strongly carinate posteriorly).

Tropiocolotes hormozganensis sp. nov. from southern Iran differ from T. steudneri from northern Africa by a combination of morphological characters ( Figure 2 ) including having two pairs of postmental shields, of which the second pair is about half of the size of the first ( versus both pairs are roughly of equal size), a lower number of longitudinal scales along underside of body: 100–107 (x ̅ =105.2) versus 119–131 (x ̅ = 116.1), a higher mean number of scales across the head: 15–19 (x ̅ =16.6) versus 12–18 (x ̅ = 14.9), a lower mean number of scales around midbody: 48–55 (x ̅ =52.8) versus 50–59 (x ̅ = 54.1), and a lower mean number of subdigital lamellae under digit 4 of the pes: 16–19 (x ̅ = 17.4) versus 17–22 (x ̅ =19.4).

Description of holotype. ( Figures 3E–H , 4 ) Width of rostral two times its height, upper three-fourths divided by a median cleft; nostril located between the rostral, first labial and two nasals; two internasals bordering posterior of rostral, each about twice size of surrounding snout scales; scales on top of the head and snout subimbricate and nearly subequal, 16 scales across the head, excluding palpebral folds; 7/7 supralabial and 6/5 infralabial scales (to center of eye) on the right and the left side of the head, respectively. Snout length from anterior nostril to the anterior eye edge 2.5 mm; eye diameter 1.7 mm (on left side of the head). Mental triangular; anterior pair of postmentals in broad contact, second pair of postmentals about half size of first pair, separated by four gular scales. Ear opening vertically oval; maximum 0.4 mm, distance between posterior of eye to anterior ear edge 2.2 mm (on left side of the head). Dorsal scales homogeneous, imbricate, weakly keeled, especially toward hind body; 55 scales around midbody, 104 scales along underside of head and body (from first pair of postmentals to anterior margin of cloaca). Tail covered above and below with uniform, imbricate, keeled scales. Limbs covered with scales similar to dorsals; digits angularly bent, covered below with strongly tricarinate lamellae, 19/18 lamellae under the right and the left fourth toe ( Figures 3D, 3H , 4 ).

Measurements. Snout-vent length 23.8 mm, tail 24.6 mm, head length from tip of snout to the anterior edge of ear 6.1 mm and from anterior edge of nostril to the anterior edge of ear 5.5 mm, head width 4.9 mm, forelimb 8.8 mm, and hind limb 12.4 mm.

Color. In living specimens, dorsal head and body ground color sandy yellow, changing to yellowish or light brown on the posterior 2/3 of the tail. Scattered dark spots on dorsal head. Varying dark brown and light spots on dorsal body, more-or-less arranged in five dark, broken, irregular crossbars with scattered light margins, the first crossbar on the nape. On each side of the head, a dark stripe runs from the posterior corner of eye to the side of nape. Labials are whitish. Tail with nine dark brown crossbars, narrower than interspaces and interrupted on the ventral side of tail. Dorsal regions of limbs with dark shades, appearing as irregular narrow dark stripes and spots. Ventral surfaces whitish ( Figure 4 ).

Variation. Color pattern of the paratype and additional specimens agree generally with the holotype. Dorsal crossbars on body number 5 or 6 and on tail 9–11 ( Figure 5 ; see also Anderson 1999, Pl. 10, fig. I for MMTT 1048 from Bandar-e Lengeh). Mensural and meristic characters of the paratypes and additional specimens are presented in Table 1.

Etymology. Tropiocolotes hormozganensis sp. nov. is named after Hormozgan Province in southern Iran, site of the type locality of this new species.

Distribution and habitat. Distributed in southern Iran, from the vicinity of the Persian Gulf shore, around Bandar-e Lengeh and Bandar-e Khamir, up to the arid plains within the southern Zagros range, around Evaz city ( Figure 1 ). The species is nocturnal; active animals were collected during the night, a few hours after sunset. The species’ habitat is varied from flat plains adjacent to the shore at elevations about 25m in Bandar-e Khamir, to arid flood plains, up to 800m in Evaz. The Evaz area is characterized by eroded limestone or gypseous mountains and has salty clay soil and very sparse vegetation comprising scattered halophyte shrubs and Tamarix . The Bandar-e Khamir locality is characterized by loamy soil and sparse vegetation predominantly comprising Salsola sp., Suaeda fruticose , Ziziphus nummularia , and Salvadora sp. ( Figure 6 ).The new species is oviparous ( Anderson 1999).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Scatter plot resulting from the within-groups PCA showing divergence of Tropiocolotes cf. steudneri of southern Iran (green) and Tropiocolotes steudneri of northernAfrica (blue).ICSTZM6H1052 was not included in the analysis because it is a sub-adult and its tail is damaged.All variables and their contributions (factor loading) are superimposed on the plots.

FIGURE 4. Dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views of the holotype of Tropiocolotes hormozganensis sp. nov. (ICSTZM6H1296). The scale is equal to 10 mm).

FIGURE 5. Living specimen of Tropiocolotes hormozganensissp. nov. ICSTZM6H1053 (Photo by F.Heidary).

FIGURE 6. A view of the habitat of Tropiocolotes hormozganensis sp. nov. in Bandar-e Khamir, Hormozgan Province.

FIGURE3. Dorsalhead,dorsal body, ventral body and subdigital lamellae views in Tropiocolotes steudneri (ZMMU R10049) (A–D) and Tropiocolotes hormozganensissp. nov. (ICSTZM6H1296) (E–H).

FIGURE1. Localitiesof Tropiocolotes cf.steudneri insouthern Iran:1, Bandar-e Khamir;2,Fars Province, about 15 km north of Evaz City; 3, Bandar-e Lengeh (Anderson,1999).