Phyllurus pinnaclensis, Hoskin & Bertola & Higgie, 2019

Hoskin, Conrad J., Bertola, Lorenzo V. & Higgie, Megan, 2019, A new species of Phyllurus leaf-tailed gecko (Lacertilia: Carphodactylidae) from The Pinnacles, north-east Australia, Zootaxa 4576 (1), pp. 127-139 : 130-132

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4576.1.6
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:92C910D5-3966-4CC1-B3DC-876B978C53E5
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5932410
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/2885CFC2-F807-40D3-A834-0F48DDBF9C43
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:2885CFC2-F807-40D3-A834-0F48DDBF9C43
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Phyllurus pinnaclensis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Phyllurus pinnaclensis sp. nov.

Pinnacles Leaf-tailed Gecko

( Figs 2 View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4A View FIGURE 4 , 5A View FIGURE 5 )

Material examined. Holotype. QMJ96418, adult male, The Pinnacles (19.410°S, 146.614°E), 2 November 2015, C. J. Hoskin & M. Higgie. Paratypes. None.

Diagnosis. Distinguished from congeners by the following characters: cylindrical, tapering tail; rostral scale partially divided by a single groove; high internasal count (7–10, typically 9 or 10); high subdigital lamellae count under the 4 th toe (19–21); original tail long (> 85% SVL) and largely devoid of tubercles after the basal quarter.

Etymology. Refers to The Pinnacles, the locality to which this species appears to be restricted.

Description of holotype. Measurements and scale counts. SVL = 85.22 mm, T (original) = 74.28 mm, TW = 6.94 mm, TD = 4.90 mm, AG = 38.76 mm, NL = 17.32 mm, HL = 22.69 mm, HW = 19.18 mm, HD = 8.20 mm, S = 10.98 mm, L1 = 37.90 mm, FLL = 16.00 mm, L2 = 49.10 mm, HLL = 19.10 mm, internasals = 10, supralabials = 16 (left side) and 15 (right side), infralabials = 15, subdigital lamellae under fingers (listed 1 st –5 th) = 12, 14, 17, 17, 16, subdigital lamellae under toes (listed 1 st –5 th) = 13, 17, 19, 20, 20. Head. Large, depressed, triangular; covered in very small granules with larger, pale, conical tubercles at back and sides of head ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4A View FIGURE 4 ); a bony ridge with larger granules extends forward from upper anterior margin of each eye towards naris ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ); skin of head co-ossified with skull; deep, vertical groove partially (25%) dividing rostral scale ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ); rostral not in contact with nostril; 10 scales along the dorsal margin of rostral shield ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ); first supralabial scale taller than wide, remaining supralabials broad and steadily decreasing in size; first infralabial scale taller than wide, remaining infralabials broad and steadily decreasing in size; granular scales of chin and throat largest along the edge of the mental and infralabials (particularly abutting infralabials 1–3) and diminishing in size to minute granules on the throat; ear opening inconspicuous, elliptical, vertical, much less than half as large as eye. Neck. Broad; covered in small granules that are intermixed with larger pale conical tubercles, including prominent, sharp tubercles on the back of the head and anterior neck ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4A View FIGURE 4 ). Body. Depressed, covered in small granules; flank granules intermixed with larger pale, conical tubercles ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4A View FIGURE 4 ); tubercles on back very small; ventral surface covered in even, smooth, fine granules, with no enlarged tubercles; preanal pores absent; large testicular bulge; conspicuous cloacal ‘spurs’, consisting of a cluster of white triangular scales, on the anterior-lateral margin ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ); axilla deeply invaginated. Limbs. Long and very slender, covered in small pointed tubercles dorsally ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 , 4A View FIGURE 4 ); lacking enlarged tubercles on ventral surface; digits strongly compressed distally; dorsal surface of hands, feet and digits without enlarged conical tubercles ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ). Original tail. Long, cylindrical, tapering ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 4A View FIGURE 4 ); slightly depressed at base; distal quarter of tail a very narrow attenuated tip, terminating with a minute, rounded, white 'knob'; dorsal surface covered in minute granules and fine tubercles; prominent enlarged spinose tubercles restricted to the basal quarter; ventral surface smooth with a mosaic of fine round scales. Colour pattern in spirit ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 ). Dorsal base colour tan, with irregular dark brown blotches on head, body and limbs; blotches largest on body and neck, smallest on head; eyelids bluish grey; pale band from lower anterior margin of eye diagonally to midway along jaw, and similar pale band from lower posterior margin of eye diagonally to just behind jaw; pale ‘band’ anterior to base of tail, and inconspicuous, irregular, pale transverse ‘bars’ on back; top of hands and feet pale; most digits strongly banded; inner anterior digit almost completely white; original tail finely mottled light brown, with five prominent, regular, bright white transverse bands and fine white ‘knob’ on tip; all ventral surfaces pale cream, with a few light brown smudges on throat, underside of limbs and testicular bulge. Colour pattern in life. As above but base colour of body much lighter (whitish grey) and brown stippling on tail darker ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 3 View FIGURE 3 ).

Note: Abbreviations of measurements are: SVL, Snout to vent length; AG, axilla to groin length; FL, forearm length; HLL, lower hindlimb length; T(O), original tail length; T(R), regenerated tail length; TW(O), original tail width; TD(O), original tail depth; HW, head width; HL, head length; HD, head depth; S, snout length; NL, neck length. See Methods for definitions.

Field data. Data was collected from an additional nine individuals in the field. Morphometrics and scalation. See Table 1. Original tail. Shape as for holotype but slightly more depressed at base in some individuals. Tail colouration generally as for holotype, with all (N = 7) individuals having five prominent white bands (excluding white tip). Two of these individuals also had one or two less conspicuous thin, pale bands on tail. In most individuals, base colour (between the white bands) is darker than for holotype, generally almost black.

Regenerated tail ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ). Slightly depressed, cylindrical, bulbous at base and tapering to tip; covered with uniform granules aligned in fine concentric rings for the full length of the tail; no spinose tubercles. Regenerated tail heavily mottled dark brown on a tan base colour. Colour pattern. As described for the holotype but with the following variation. Base colour of some individuals is brown, giving the whole animal a much darker appearance (e.g., Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ). Some individuals, have prominent pale spots or blotches on the dorsal surfaces of the body, head and limbs; in juveniles and subadults these are bright white. Variation in tail colour pattern described immediately above.

Comparison. Phyllurus pinnaclensis sp. nov. could only be confused with congeners with a cylindrical, tapering tail. Of these, it is readily distinguished from P. caudiannulatus Covacevich, 1975 and P. kabikabi Couper, Hamley & Hoskin, 2008 by a partially divided rostral scale (versus completely divided). From P. gulbaru , it is distinguished by a high internasal count ( P. gulbaru mean 6.5, range 5–8; P. pinnaclensis sp. nov. mean 9.1, range 7–10); high subdigital lamellae count under the 4 th toe ( P. gulbaru mean 17.9, range 16–19; P. pinnaclensis sp. nov. mean 20.0, range 19–21); longer original tail ( P. gulbaru T/SVL mean 0.80, range 0.71–0.84; P. pinnaclensis sp. nov. T/SVL mean 0.90, range 0.88–0.91) and regenerated tail ( P. gulbaru T/SVL mean 0.61, range 0.50–0.71; P. pinnaclensis sp. nov. T/SVL mean 0.73; range 0.73) ( Table 1); and original tail largely devoid of prominent tubercles past the basal quarter (versus prominent tubercles on at least basal half in P. gulbaru ). A relatively straightforward and near-diagnostic trait to assess in the field is the number of internasals, with> 90% of P. gulbaru individuals (N = 36) having <8 (5–7) and 90% of P. pinnaclensis sp. nov. (N = 10) having> 8 (9–10; but one aberrant individual had 7).

Genetics. Approximately 6.4% divergent from P. gulbaru for ND2 mtDNA ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ).

Distribution. Appears to be restricted to The Pinnacles, 25 km south-west of Townsville ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). Known from three areas of habitat on the western and southern Pinnacles ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ). Each of these small patches of habitat is isolated by unsuitable habitat that is too dry and/or not sufficiently rocky. Surveys of rainforest habitat in the northeastern Pinnacles (-19.397, 146.642) have failed to find P. pinnaclensis sp. nov.. This area has very high suitability in the SDM (dark green pixel in north-east Pinnacles in Figure 1 View FIGURE 1 ) but the rock in this area is probably not sufficiently layered to have provided long-term climatic buffering. Potentially suitable rocky rainforest gullies in the south-eastern Pinnacles have not yet been surveyed.

Habitat and habits. Layered rock with associated rainforest (‘vine-forest’) vegetation. One site consists of piled, angular rock ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ) associated with a gully, another site consists of piled, rounded, granite boulders along a gully ( Fig. 6B View FIGURE 6 ), and the third site consists of deeply piled, granite boulders along a gully and adjacent slopes. At all sites, P. pinnaclensis sp. nov. was found on rock surfaces at night ( Fig. 6B View FIGURE 6 ).