Calotes vindumbarbatus Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Boehme , 2021

Liu, Shuo, Zuo, Changsheng, Yin, Fawang, Hui, Hong & Rao, Dingqi, 2022, First record of Calotes vindumbarbatus Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Boehme, 2021 (Squamata: Agamidae) from China, with revised diagnosis of this species, Biodiversity Data Journal 10, pp. 77963-77963 : 77963

Calotes vindumbarbatus Wagner, Ihlow, Hartmann, Flecks, Schmitz & Boehme, 2021

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KIZ 059299 ; individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan; locality: Nabang Town , Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture ; verbatimElevation: 320 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24°45'47"N 97°34'15"E; Event: eventRemarks: collected by Shuo Liu on 5 September 2018; Record Level: basisOfRecord: preserved specime Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KIZ 059176 ; individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan; locality: Nabang Town , Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture ; verbatimElevation: 320 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24°45'47"N 97°34'15"E; Event: eventRemarks: collected by Shuo Liu on 5 September 2018; Record Level: basisOfRecord: preserved specime Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KIZ20209131 ; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: juvenile; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan; locality: Xueli Village , Taiping Town , Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture ; verbatimElevation: 350 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24°26'32"N, 97°33'4"E; Event: eventRemarks: collected by Shuo Liu on 13 September 2020; Record Level: basisOfRecord: preserved specime Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KIZ20209132 ; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: juvenile; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan; locality: Xueli Village , Taiping Town , Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture ; verbatimElevation: 350 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24°26'32"N, 97°33'4"E; Event: eventRemarks: collected by Shuo Liu on 13 September 2020; Record Level: basisOfRecord: preserved specime Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KIZ20209133 ; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: juvenile; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan; locality: Xueli Village , Taiping Town , Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture ; verbatimElevation: 350 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24°26'32"N, 97°33'4"E; Event: eventRemarks: collected by Shuo Liu on 13 September 2020; Record Level: basisOfRecord: preserved specime Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KIZ20209134 ; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: juvenile; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan; locality: Xueli Village , Taiping Town , Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture ; verbatimElevation: 350 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24°26'32"N, 97°33'4"E; Event: eventRemarks: collected by Shuo Liu on 13 September 2020; Record Level: basisOfRecord: preserved specime Type status: Other material. Occurrence: catalogNumber: KIZ20209135 ; individualCount: 1; lifeStage: juvenile; Location : country: China; stateProvince: Yunnan; locality: Xueli Village , Taiping Town , Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture ; verbatimElevation: 350 m; verbatimCoordinates: 24°26'32"N, 97°33'4"E; Event: eventRemarks: collected by Shuo Liu on 13 September 2020; Record Level: basisOfRecord: preserved specime

Description

Description of the two adult specimens (KIZ 059299 and KIZ 059167)

Morphometric and meristic data are presented in Table 2 . Male body large (SVL 116.4 mm), female body relatively small (SVL 97.2 mm). Tail relatively short (TaiL/SVL 2.10 in male and 1.95 in female), extremities relatively short and robust. Head large, distinct from the neck and lateral sides flat. Posterior parts of jaw angle slightly swollen in male, not swollen in female. Snout-tip blunt. Nostril in a single scale, separated from the labial scale by one or two scales. Rostral and mental scales small. Canthus rostralis sharp and straight from the nostril to the posterior part of the eye, including 6-7 scales between the nostril and the eye and 8-9 supraciliary scales. Ten supralabial scales, 9 infralabial scales. Tympanum distinct. Two short separated spines on each side of the upper head above the tympanum and two shorter spines beside each of them. Scales on chin and throat keeled. Nuchal crest with 10-11 scales, dorsal crest with 35-39 scales. Nuchal and dorsal crest well developed and high in male, composed of erected compressed scales, directed posteriorly, highest above the insertion of the front limbs and gradually decreasing towards the tail. Nuchal crest developed in female, composed of erected compressed scales, dorsal crest poorly developed in female. Oblique fold of skin in front of forelimb insertion distinct, covered with small granular dark scales. Dorsal scales feebly keeled, pointing upwards and backwards. Ventral scales parallel and strongly keeled. Caudal scales keeled, directed backwards. Subcaudal scales parallel and strongly keeled.

Colouration

This species has a very strong ability to change the body colouration (Fig. 2 ). Usually, the head, forelimbs and anterior half of the body of adult males are blue, a white stripe, as high as the tympanum, is present from between nostril and orbit along the upper lip and the tympanum to the insertion of the front limb. The stripe is followed by 4-5 white blotches and there are thinner white stripes between each blotch. Gradually increasing brown blotches are present just on each white blotch, the first two are smaller than the white blotches and the rest almost covered the whole of the white blotches. The posterior half of the body, hind limbs and tail almost uniform brown. When they were disturbed or the environment changed etc., they can change their body colouration. The head, forelimbs and anterior half of the body may become brownish-grey, the white stripe become brownish-yellow, the posterior half of the body, hindlimbs and tail are still brown, but darker.

The colourations of adult females are relatively dim. Usually, the ground colour of females is purple brown, there are dark longitudinal stripes on the chin region and dark reticulate stripes on the back and there are radial dark stripes around the eyes, the white stripe along the upper lip and the dorsolateral blotches are more indistinct. However, the females can also change their body colouration. The stripes on the back, chin region and around the eyes may become indistinct. The head, forelimbs and anterior half of the body may become bluish, the white stripe and dorsolateral blotches may become more distinct. However, the colourations of females are still not as bright as those of males.

Diagnosis

Revised diagnosis

A medium-sized Calotes species of the complex, males with a known maximum SVL of 116.4 mm, females with a SVL of 97.2 mm. Tail length short, approximately twice the length of SVL. It can be distinguished from the other species of the complex by the combination of the following characters: 1) head and body robust, posterior parts of jaw angle slightly swollen in adult males, not swollen in female; 2) dorsal scales large, feebly keeled, pointing upwards and backwards, ventral scales small, parallel and strongly keeled; 3) body scales arranged in 50-56 rows around mid-body; 4) 18-22 lamellae on the fourth finger and 22-27 lamellae on the fourth toe; 5) 40-49 vertebral scales, nuchal crest developed in adults, dorsal crest developed in adult males, but undeveloped in females; 6) two short separated spines on each side above the tympanum and two shorter spines beside each of them; 7) oblique fold of skin in front of forelimb insertion distinct, covered with small granular dark scales; 8) the head, forelimbs and anterior half of the body blue in adult males, white stripe along the upper lip present, the posterior half of the body, hindlimbs and tail almost uniform brown; 9) 4-5 white blotches on each side of lateral body, gradually increasing brown blotches are present just on each white blotch, the first two are smaller than the white blotches and the rest almost covering the whole of the white blotches; 10) the colourations of adult females similar to those of males, but relatively dim; 11) nuchal and dorsal crest undeveloped in juveniles, the white stripe along the upper lip distinct, but the dorsolateral blotches indistinct and dark reticulate pattern present on the back in juveniles.

Ecology

Ecological notes

The specimens were found on the trunks beside roads during the day (Fig. 3 ) and were found on the branches at night. Two other species of Calotes , C. irawadi Zug, Brown, Schulte & Vindum, 2006 and C. emma Gray, 1845 were observed to be sympatric with this species.

Figures

Figure 2. Calotes vindumbarbatus from Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, western Yunnan, China, in life. A an adult male in bright colouration; B an adult male in sombre colouration; C an adult female; D a subadult male with smaller body size and low nuchal and dorsal crest.

Figure 3. Habitat of Calotes vindumbarbatus at Xueli Village, Taiping Town, Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China.