Proctoporus carabaya, Goicoechea & Padial & Chaparro & Castroviejo-Fisher & Riva, 2013

Goicoechea, NoemÍ, Padial, José M., Chaparro, Juan Carlos, Castroviejo-Fisher, Santiago & Riva, Ignacio De La, 2013, A taxonomic revision of Proctoporus bolivianus Werner (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) with the description of three new species and resurrection of Proctoporus lacertus Stejneger, American Museum Novitates 2013 (3786), pp. 1-32 : 14-17

Proctoporus carabaya , new species

Figure 5

Proctoporus bolivianus [Ca4 MNCN5580]: Goicoechea et al., 2012: 953.

HOLOTYPE: MHNC 5428 (field number MNCN 4709 ) (fig. 5), adult male, from Tambillo (13°52′40.9″S / 70°12′57.2″W), Province Carabaya , Department of Puno, Peru 3818 m, collected by Ignacio De la Riva, José Manuel Padial, Santiago Castroviejo-Fisher, and Juan Carlos Chaparro on 25 February 2006.

PARATYPES: MHNC 5429 (field number MNCN 4710 ), adult male, and MHNC 5430–31 (field numbers MNCN 4715 , 4714 ), MNCN 43675–77 (field numbers MNCN 4710 , 4711 , 4713 ), juveniles, same data as holotype .

DIAGNOSIS: (1) Frontonasal length equal to frontal length; (2) nasoloreal suture present; (3) supraoculars three; (4) superciliaries 3–4, first expanded onto dorsal surface of head; (5) postoculars two; (6) palpebral disc made up of a single, undivided scale; (7) four supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the subocular; (8) two pairs of genials in contact; (9) dorsal body scales quadrangular, slightly keeled; (10) transverse rows of dorsals 34–35; (11) transverse ventral rows 23; (12) a continuous series of small lateral scales separating dorsals from ventrals; (13) posterior cloacal plate made up of six scales in both sexes; (14) anterior preanal plate scales paired; (15) femoral pores per hind limb in males 5–6; (16) preanal pores absent; (17) subdigital lamellae on toe IV 19–21; subdigital lamellae on toe V 6–13; (18) limbs not overlapping when adpressed against body on adults; (19) pentadactyl; digits clawed; (20) dorsum dark brown without laterodorsal stripes; lateral ocelli absent; ventral surfaces dark with some light mottling on lateral side of scales; throat paler than rest of the body, with more evident cream splitting.

Specimens of Proctoporus carabaya show the presence of an undivided palpebral disc, which identifies them as members of the genus Proctoporus , as opposed to Riama or Petracola (Doan and Castoe, 2005; Uzzell, 1970). Proctoporus carabaya can be distinguished from P.pachyurus by having three supraoculars (four in P. pachyurus ) and fewer transverse dorsal scale rows (34–35 in P. carabaya , 47–60 in P.pachyurus ); from P. sucullucu , by having limbs not overlapping when adpressed and loreal scale not in contact with supralabials (loreal in contact with second and third supralabials in P. sucullucu ); from P. bolivianus by being larger and having the frontonasal subequal to frontal; from P. unsaacae and P. guentheri by having the loreal not in contact with supralabials and by the absence of a series of ocelli (present in both P. unsaacae and P. guentheri ); from P. kiziriani by having first supraocular fused with first superciliary and the lack of dorsolateral stripes; from P. iridescens by having four supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the subocular (three in P. iridescens ), presence of loreal scale (absent in P. iridescens ), and two pairs of genials in contact (three pairs in P. iridescens ); from P. lacertus by having first supraocular fused with first superciliary (not fused in P. lacertus ) and a loreal scale (absent in P. lacertus ); from P. xestus by the lack of prefrontal scales (present in P.xestus ) and having keeled dorsal scales (smooth in P.xestus ); and from P. chasqui by the lack of prefrontal scales.

DESCRIPTION OF HOLOTYPE: Adult male, snout-vent length (SVL) 66.5 mm, tail length 76.5 mm; head scales smooth, without striations or rugosities; rostral scale wider (2.0 mm) than tall (1.0 mm), meeting supralabials on either side at above the height of supralabials, and becoming higher medially, in contact with frontonasal, nasals, and first supralabials; frontonasal longer than wide, subequal in length with frontal, widest posteriorly, in contact with rostral, nasals, anteriormost supraocular, and frontal; prefrontals absent; frontal longer than wide, roughly polygonal, not in contact with anteriormost superciliary, in contact with frontonasal, first two supraoculars, and frontoparietals; frontoparietals polygonal, in contact with frontal, second and third supraoculars, parietals, and interparietal; supraoculars three, all in contact with superciliaries, third in contact with frontoparietal, parietal, and postocular; interparietal longer than wide, roughly rectangular, in contact with frontoparietals anteriorly, with parietals laterally, and with occipitals posteriorly; parietals polygonal, with anterior sutures in contact with frontoparietals and third supraoculars, posterior sutures in contact with occipital, lateral sutures diagonally in contact with temporal; occipitals three, smaller than parietals, subequal in size. Nasal divided, longer than high, in contact with first and second supralabials; loreal present, not in contact with supralabials, in contact with nasal, first superciliary, and frenocular; four superciliaries, first fused with first supraocular; two preoculars, first in contact with first superciliary and loreal scales, second in contact with frenocular, loreal, and first subocular; frenocular roughly triangular, in contact with second and third supralabials, second preoculars, first subocular, and loreal scales; palpebral disc made up of a single transparent scale; suboculars three; postoculars two; temporals smooth, glossy, polygonal; supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the subocular four. Mental wider (2.0 mm) than long (1.1 mm), in contact with first infralabial and postmental posteriorly; postmental single, pentagonal, in contact with first infralabials and first pair of genials; two pairs of genials in contact, anterior pair in contact with first infralabials; second pair of genials in contact with second and third infralabials laterally; one pair of chin shields, separated by two smaller median pregulars; gular scale rows six; collar fold slightly distinct, concealing one row of small scales; lateral neck scales round, smooth. Dorsals rectangular, longer than wide, juxtaposed, with single high, rounded keel, in 35 transverse rows; longitudinal dorsal scale rows 23 at midbody; continuous lateral scale series, smaller than dorsals, partially hidden in lateral fold; reduced scales at limb-insertion regions present; transverse ventral scale rows 23; longitudinal ventral scale rows at midbody 11; anterior preanal plate scales paired; posterior preanal plate scales six, lateralmost scales small; scales on tail rectangular, juxtaposed; dorsal, dorsolateral, and ventrolateral caudal scales smooth; midventral subcaudal scales wider than adjacent scales, almost square, anteriormost midventral subcaudal scales subimbricate. Limbs pentadactyl; digits clawed; dorsal brachial scales polygonal, subequal in size, subimbricate, smooth; ventral brachial scales roundish, subimbricate, smooth; antebrachial scales polygonal, subequal in size, smooth, ventral antebrachial scales smallest; dorsal manus scales polygonal, smooth, subimbricate; palmar scales small, rounded, subimbricate, domelike; dorsal scales on fingers smooth, quadrangular, covering dorsal half of digit, overhanging subdigital scales, three on finger I, six on II, eight on III, 10 on IV, and four on V; scales on anterodorsal surface of thigh large, polygonal, smooth, subimbricate; scales on posterior surface of thigh small, rounded, juxtaposed; scales on ventral surface of thigh large, rounded, flat, smooth; femoral pores five; preanal pores absent; scales on anterior surface of crus polygonal, smooth, juxtaposed, decreasing in size distally; scales on anterodorsal surface of crus rounded, juxtaposed; scales on ventral surface of crus large, smooth, flat, subimbricate; scales on dorsal surface of toes quadrangular, smooth, overhanging supradigital lamellae, three on toe I, six on II, 11 on III, 10 on IV, seven on V; subdigital lamellae single distally, double proximally, three on toe I, seven on II, 11 on III, 15 on IV, eight on V; limbs not overlapping when adpressed against the body, separated by eight to nine dorsal scale lengths.

COLORATION IN PRESERVATIVE: Dorsal and lateral surfaces of head dark brown (fig. 5); lip irregularly barred with cream coloring; ventral surface of head cream with clumps of black stippling on each scale; pregular region like head but with fainter stippling. Dorsal and lateral surface of body nearly the same color as head; ventral surface of body dark brown ground color, with cream spots on posterior margin of some scales. Limbs similar to body, dorsal surface of arms with dark coloration decreasing toward ventral surface, ventral surface of arms gray without black stippling, dorsal surface of legs similar to body, ventral surface of legs with cream ground color and scattered gray stippling. Dorsal tail coloration like that of body, ventral surface of tail like ventral surface of the body but without mottling.

COLORATION IN LIFE: Likely similar to that in preservative, but no field notes or color photos of living specimens are available.

VARIATION: Scalation of the paratypes are similar to the holotype. Coloration among the specimens examined is also very similar, with adults darker than juveniles. Two juvenile specimens ( MHCN 5430 –31 ) have two light brown dorsolateral longitudinal stripes that originate near the occiput and extend to forelimb insertions. Variation of morphometric and meristic characters is shown in table 3. The small sample size (only two adult males and five juveniles) did not allow us to study variation due to sexual dimorphism.

DISTRIBUTION: Proctoporus carabaya is known only from type locality (fig. 9).

HABITAT AND ECOLOGY: Individuals were found during the day under logs and stones around the small village of Tambillo, occupying disturbed areas and agricultural fields.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific terms refers both to the province and the mountain range where the species occurs, the Cordillera de Carabaya, one of the most spectacular formations in the Andes of southern Peru.

Figures

FIG. 5. Holotype of Proctoporus carabaya (MHNC 5428; snout-vent length, 66.5 mm).