Anadia escalerae, Myers & Fuenmayor & Jadin, 2009

Myers, Charles W., Fuenmayor, Gilson Rivas & Jadin, Robert C., 2009, New Species of Lizards from Auyantepui and La Escalera in the Venezuelan Guayana, with Notes on ‘‘ Microteiid’ ’ Hemipenes (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae), American Museum Novitates 3660, pp. 1-32 : 12-16

Anadia escalerae , new species

Figures 8–9

HOLOTYPE: Museo de la Estación Biológica de Rancho Grande ( EBRG) no. 1998, an adult female from La Escalera region, ‘‘ 132 km SE Río Cuyuní (5 46 km SE km 88) on road to Santa Elena,, 1430 m,’’ Edo. Bolívar, Venezuela, collected by John E. Cadle, December 30, 1980.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific name, a latinized noun in the genitive case, is derived from La Escalera, a well-known regional name for the steep ascent up the slope of Sierra de Lema to the northern edge of the elevated Gran Sabana, on the road from El Dorado to Santa Elena de Uairén.

DIAGNOSIS: Anadia escalerae most closely resembles A. pariaensis from the Península de Paria. The holotypes of pariaensis and escalerae are the only members of the genus known to have the prefrontals separated by an azygous scale (a variable character in pariaensis 9 and possibly in escalerae ) and these specimens also have similar color patterns (cf. figs. 9, 10). A. escalerae differs from A. pariaensis in having weakly keeled (vs. smooth) dorsal scales, in having a subocular scale protruded downward between 4th and 5th supralabials, and in differing configurations of various head scales (see comparisons).

9 Based on an unreported specimen from Península de Paria in the Museo de Biología de la Universidad del Zulia, Maracaibo (MBLUZ 930). This additional specimen of A. pariaensis , a male, has been at least temporarily lost in transit while on loan (Rivas, unpublished data).

DESCRIPTION OF HOLOTYPE

It is a sexually mature female with convoluted oviducts. About 166 mm total length, 63 mm SVL (table 2). Found dead according to its field tag and damaged apparently by insects, especially on right side of head and on throat; left arm lacking except for humeral bone.

HABITUS AND PROPORTIONS: A slender, long-tailed lizard with relatively small limbs; snout attenuate, flat in profile. Head length 20% of SVL, 1.8 times longer than wide, 1.6 times wider than high; head wider than neck. Neck long, 67% of head length, 25% of trunk length. Snout-axilla length 67% of trunk length, 37% of SVL. Body wider than deep. Tail dorsoventrally flattened (somewhat flat above and below in profile), about 1.6 times longer than SVL. Limbs pentadactyl, all digits clawed (lacking left forelimb). Forelimb 22% of SVL, 41% of trunk length; hind leg 33% of SVL, 62% of trunk length; based on measurements of arm and leg (table 2, note b), longest digits of appressed limbs would barely overlap.

TONGUE AND DENTITION: Tongue lanceolate, largely unpigmented, distally becoming gray close to fork (tips unpigmented). Upper surface behind fork covered with imbricate scalelike papillae, except that proximal bifurcation of tongue has transverse plicae. Scalelike papillae extend onto ventrolateral sides of tongue. Raised medioventral side of tongue with numerous pairs (.10) of thin, oblique, anteriorly converging and pointed (chevronlike) infralingual plicae; anterior pair of infralingual plicae swollen, bluntly pointed, and much larger than those following. No obvious medioventral grove (but tongue slightly desiccated).

Anterior maxillary and dentary teeth conical, virtually without recurvature, becoming larger and weakly tricuspid posteriorly.

SCUTELLATION: Dorsum of head (fig. 8) with normal complement of Anadia head plates (cf. Oftedal, 1974: fig. 1) except for presence of well-developed azygous scale separating paired prefrontals.

Rostral plate much wider than deep, separated from nasal, laterally in contact with first supralabial, dorsally in contact with large frontonasal. Frontonasal with nearly straight anterior edge and medially concave on posterior edge. Paired prefrontals separated by azygous plate in contact with frontonasal anteriorly and with frontal posteriorly. Frontal hexagonal, with blunt anterior point and obtuse posterior one, widest anteriorly, concave posterolaterally. Paired frontoparietals with long medial suture, in contact with interparietal, parietals, and two posterior supraoculars. Three large supraoculars; a small presupraocular situated between prefrontal and first supraocular. Interparietal slightly longer than wide, rounded posteriorly. Parietals not as wide as interparietal and not extending as far posteriad. A series of eight medium-sized occipitals (postparietals) circling common posterior margin of parietals and interparietal. Three median postoccipitals larger than other dorsal neck scales.

(EBRG 2742). Scale line 5 10 mm. (Photographs courtesy of Francisco Bisbal and Javier Sánchez).

Nasal scale entire, nostril situated slightly anterior of center. Nasal scale separated from rostral by anterior corner of frontonasal, posteriorly in broad contact with loreal. Loreal large, in broad contact with first superciliary and frenocular. At least one small preocular and a larger postocular. First superciliary (or ‘‘presuperciliary’’) large, followed by four shorter superciliaries. No small azygous scales between superciliaries and supraoculars. Frenocular followed posteriorly by five suboculars. Fourth subocular extending to lip between supralabials 4–5 (evident on both sides of head). Eight supralabials (including a small scale above corner of mouth).

Orbital areas desiccated and damaged. About six ciliaries along upper eyelid. Lower eyelid scales translucent, right side (not illustrated) with a palpebral disk or median window of four higher-than-wide rectangular panes.

Temporal scales subimbricate, smooth, with flat surfaces, larger above, smaller below. Ear opening a broad (nearly circular) ovoid, slightly inclined posterodorsally, edged with small, slightly pebblelike scales; tympanum recessed, mostly unpigmented.

Underside of head with five infralabials on each side (not counting a few small scales at corner of mouth). A large mental followed by large postmental in lateral contact with first two infralabials. Three pairs of large genials in lateral contact with infralabials 2–5; first two pairs of genials in broad median contact, third pair in narrow median contact. One large postgenial on each side, in contact with last genial and infralabial 5. Anterior gular region damaged. Posteriorly, small to medium-size gular scales with slightly rounded surfaces, subimbricate. Gulars arranged in transverse rows, becoming slightly larger posteriad, culminating in poorly defined collar row of subequal scales. Side of neck between ear and collar pebbled with subequal, rounded juxtaposed scales.

Middorsal scales 63 (table 2, note c). Dorsal scales on neck subimbricate, somewhat irregularly shaped, with rounded surfaces. Dorsal body scales mainly quadrangular, some irregularly shaped but most are longer than wide or occasionally square, in transverse rows only. Most dorsals weakly keeled—keels thick but not sharply defined and not extending length of scale, occasionally confined tuberclelike to middle of scale. Lateral scales (below dorsolateral pale stripes) smooth, otherwise similar to dorsals but smaller and more variable in shape.

Ventral scales much wider than dorsals, smooth, juxtaposed, quadrangular, longer than wide except for two median longitudinal rows of square scales on belly; in 12 longitudinal rows at midbody (including small rectangular ventrolateral plates) and 34 transverse rows between collar and preanal scales.

Four anterior rows of paired preanal scales. Eight marginal preanal scales anterior to vent, the middle four larger than the lateral ones. Femoral pores poorly developed, in nonswollen pore scales mostly in linear contact; about 5 pores on left thigh and 10 on right. Pores do not extend onto preanal area.

Caudal scales disposed in transverse rows of uniformly rectangular scales all around tail. Caudal scales subimbricate, smooth except that some dorsals are weakly keeled on base of tail.

Forearms damaged. Dorsal surfaces of lower arm with large, smooth subimbricate scales; ventral side of lower arm with smaller scales. Hind limbs with large, smooth subimbricate to imbricate scales on anterior face of thigh; scales similar but smaller on ventral side of thigh. Dorsal and posterior sides of thighs, and dorsal surface of lower leg, pebbled with small, round and raised juxtaposed scales. Ventral side of lower leg with large smooth imbricate scales.

Moderate-size scales atop hands and feet. Supradigital scales single; upper and lower ungual-sheath scales covering base of claws, leaving tips well exposed. Palms and soles with small, slightly raised juxtaposed scales. No enlarged thenar scale at base of pollex. Subdigital lamellae mostly single. Longest (4th) finger with 14 subdigital lamellae, longest (4th) toe with 17 subdigital lamellae.

COLORATION: In preservative (fig. 9), a conspicuous white dorsolateral stripe on each side, from eye to base of tail, set on ground color of rich dark brown. Middorsum pale brown, with an ill-defined dark brown vertebral streak. Head grayish brown, turning paler yellowish brown on snout and chin. An illdefined pale blue stripe extending from corner of mouth through ear to arm insertion, this marking edged below by a brown line; lower side of neck pale blue with vestige of another brown line parallel to the one above it. Chest, belly, and lower sides light brownish gray, becoming whitish with faint pale brown mottling underneath hind legs and tail.

COMPARISONS

Anadia escalerae (fig. 9) resembles some specimens of A. steyeri and the holotype of A. pariaensis (fig. 10) in general color pattern. It especially resembles the holotype of A. pariaensis in possession of an azygous scale inserted between the paired prefrontals (cf. fig. 8 with Rivas et al., 1999: fig. 2). Nature of the median contact between prefrontals is used as a diagnostic character in Anadia , but separation by an azygous scale seems previously unreported. There are a number of differences separating the two specimens, including the following:

Figures

Fig. 8. Anadia escalerae, new species. Lateral, dorsal, and ventral views of head of holotype (EBRG 1998). Unusual scales (gray tone in drawings) include fourth sublabial in contact with lip and azygous scale between paired prefrontals. Scalation of lower eyelid not shown in drawing because of desiccation and distortion; white areas in ventral view reflect insect damage. Scale lines 5 5 mm.

Fig. 9. Anadia escalerae, new species. Dorsal and ventral views of female holotype (EBRG 1998), showing habitus and color pattern in preservative. Scale line 5 10 mm.