A new species of Sitana (Squamata: Agamidae) from the Deccan Peninsula Biogeographic Zone of India

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4948 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-274
Author(s):  
V. DEEPAK ◽  
FRANK TILLACK ◽  
NILADRI B. KAR ◽  
VIVEK SARKAR ◽  
PRATYUSH. P. MOHAPATRA

We describe a new species of fan-throated lizard of the genus Sitana from the Deccan peninsula of India. The new species is from the Sitana sivalensis clade and can be readily diagnosed morphologically from S. sivalensis, S. fusca and S. schleichi by having the dewlap extending beyond forearm insertion. The new species differs from all other congeners in the combination of morphological characters such as a feebly serrated dewlap with a dark blue line on the throat in adult males (versus  a well serrated dewlap with a bright blue patch and orange spots in S. ponticeriana complex), small body size (versus a large body size in S. gokakensis and S. thondalu) and a relatively smaller dewlap size (relatively larger in S. laticeps, S. spinaecephalus, S. dharwarensis, S. gokakensis, S. thondalu, S. marudhamneydhal, S. ponticeriana and S. visiri). The new species was found to be commonly distributed in arid and open habitats as well as in farmlands and plantations in northern Andhra Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh and most parts of Chhattisgarh and Odisha states. 

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3616 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUAN M. GUAYASAMIN ◽  
ALEJANDRO F. ARTEAGA

We describe a new Pristimantis from La Libertad and Rumiloma, Reserva Mazar, Andes of Southeastern Ecuador, at elevations between 2895–3415 m. This species is assigned to the P. orestes group, from whose members it differs by its small body size (adult males ≤ 18.1 mm; adult females ≤ 23.7 mm), usually reticulated ventral pattern, and visible tympanum. The vocalization of the new species consists of a series of calls; each call is composed by a pulsed, non-modulated note in frequency, and with a dominant frequency of 3122–3171 Hz. A molecular phylogeny based on a fragment of the mitochondrial gene 12S shows that the new species is sister to Pristimantis simonbolivari.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-38
Author(s):  
Amit Sayyed ◽  
Vivek Philip Cyriac ◽  
Anish Pardeshi ◽  
Shauri Sulakhe

A new species of the genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 is described from the Rajgad fort in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. The new species, belonging to the flaviventralis clade, is one of the smallest known Indian Cnemaspis and can be distinguished from other congeners by its genetic distinctiveness and few key morphological characters. The new species can be diagnosed from all other Indian congeners by its small body size (SVL < 27 mm), the absence of conical and spine-like tubercles on flank; heterogeneous dorsal pholidosis; presence of only femoral pores and no precloacal pores in males; weakly keeled scales on the ventral surface of neck, pectoral, abdominal region and limbs; granular scales on the tail with whorls of slightly enlarged, strongly keeled tubercles; and the absence of enlarged median subcaudal scales. The new species is currently known to inhabit the man-made historical structures from a single locality in Rajgad, Maharashtra, where it is presumed to be uncommon.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4908 (3) ◽  
pp. 426-434
Author(s):  
EDNA P. ALCANTARA ◽  
CRISTIANA FERREIRA-SILVA ◽  
LUCAS R. FORTI ◽  
DRAUSIO H. MORAIS ◽  
REINALDO J. SILVA

Aplectana longa n. sp. (Ascaridida: Cosmocercidae) from the small intestine of Gastrotheca microdiscus (Amphibia: Hemiphractidae) is described and illustrated. The new species is characterized by the combination of a unique set of morphological characters: 1) Large body size in both sexes; 2) Lateral alae absent; 3) Gubernaculum present, small, thin, weakly sclerotized, pointed at the distal end and curved proximally at the end, with a small and punctiform papilla-like dilation, and 4) Caudal papillae arrangement (9+1:0:6). The distribution pattern of caudal papillae is similar only to Aplectana chamaeleonsis. Nevertheless, Aplectana longa n. sp. is easily differentiated from this species by the arrangement of precloacal papillae. This is the 57th species of the Aplectana and the 16th species reported from Brazil. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4695 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
LU WANG ◽  
XUEJIAN DENG ◽  
YONG LIU ◽  
QIANQIAN WU ◽  
ZHAO LIU

We describe a new species of Megophryidae frog, Megophrys shunhuangensis sp. nov., from Hunan Province, Southern China. It can be distinguished from other known species in the subgenus Panophrys by morphological characters, bioacoustic data and a molecular divergence in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene similar to that found among other species of Panophrys. M. shunhuangensis sp. nov. is characterized by a relatively small body size, with adult females measuring 37.6 mm and adult males measuring 30.3–33.6 mm in snout to vent length; maxillary teeth present, vomerine teeth absent; tongue smooth, not notched behind; hindlimb slender, heels overlapping, tibio-tarsal articulation reaches forward between the nasal and tip of snout. Molecular phylogenetic analyses also show that M. sp. 6 from (Mao’er Shan, China) from Chen et al. (2017) and M. sp. 24 (Anjiangping and Mao’er Shan, China) from Liu et al. (2018) may be the same species as M. shunhuangensis sp. nov., we consequently speculate that the new species also distributed in Anjiangping and Mao’er Shan, China. At present, the genus Megophrys contains 85 species of which 48 species are distributed in China, and 30 belong to the subgenus Panophrys. 


ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 852 ◽  
pp. 137-156
Author(s):  
Mario H. Yánez-Muñoz ◽  
David Veintimilla-Yánez ◽  
Diego Batallas ◽  
Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia

A new species of frog of the genus Pristimantis is described from the paramos of the Nudo de Cajanuma, Podocarpus National Park, on the border between the provinces of Loja and Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador. The new species is readily distinguished from all other species of Pristimantis by its large body size (snout-vent length: 50.0–50.5 mm in adult females, 34.7–42.5 mm in adult males), thick glandular skin, large warts on flanks, prominent glandular patches on head and legs, and dark brown dorsum. This new species is among the largest and stoutest Pristimantis frogs of the high Andes. It is only known from its type locality, where it occurs in paramo bambusoid meadows at elevations between 3300 and 3400 m. It is morphologically similar to Pristimantiserythros, P.farisorum, P.obmutescens, P.orcesi, P.racemus, P.simoterus, P.simoteriscus, and P.thymelensis. Notorious morphological characters present in this new species are thick glandular patches covering dorsum and limbs and porous skin texture, which are shared with P.erythros.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-283
Author(s):  
S.G. Ermilov

The oribatid mite subgenus Scheloribates (Topobates) Grandjean, 1958, is recorded from the Neotropical region for the first time. A new species of this subgenus is described from the leaf litter collected in Cayo Agua Island, Panama. Scheloribates (Topobates) panamaensis sp. nov. differs from its related species by the very large body size and presence of a strong ventrodistal process on the leg femora II–IV.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-187
Author(s):  
Lourdes Y. Echevarría ◽  
Pablo J. Venegas ◽  
Luis A. García-Ayachi ◽  
Pedro M. Sales Nunes

We describe a new species of Selvasaura from the montane forests of the eastern slopes of the Andes in northern Peru, based on external and hemipenial morphological characters and previous phylogenetic analyses. The new species can be differentiated from the other two Selvasaura species in having keeled dorsal scales usually flanked by longitudinal striations, in adults and juveniles; adult males with a yellow vertebral stripe bordered by broad dark brown stripes on each side and a unilobed hemipenis surrounded by the branches of the sulcus spermaticus. The description of the new species contributes information about new states of diagnostic characters of Selvasaura and natural history.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-394
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Akrami ◽  
Fatemeh Ordouni ◽  
Sara Ramroodi

A new species of oribatid mite of the family Galumnidae, Pergalumna sistanbaluchestanica sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on adult specimens from soil in Sistan and Baluchestan province, southeastern Iran. The new species is characterized by dentate rostrum; long interlamellar setae; long, setiform, finely barbed bothridial setae; complete dorsosejugal furrow; large, nearly triangular porose areas Aa; presence of median pore in females and males; large, elongated postanal porose area and large body size. The new species is most similar morphologically to P. seminervosa Mahunka & Mahunka-Papp, 2008, however, differs from it in morphology of bothridial setae and notogastral porose areas Aa and also by the surface ornamentation of the pteromorphs and genital plates; localization of setal alveoli la and lyrifissures im and body size. An identification key to known species of Pergalumna from the Palaearctic region is given.


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4779 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-354
Author(s):  
JODI J. L. ROWLEY ◽  
DUONG THI THUY LE ◽  
HUY DUC HOANG ◽  
TRUNG TIEN CAO ◽  
VINH QUANG DAU

We describe a new species of phytotelm-breeding rhacophorid frog from central Vietnam. Gracixalus trieng sp. nov. is distinguished from all congeners by a combination of (1) body size medium (37.2–41.4 mm in five adult males), (2) snout rounded in dorsal and lateral views, (3) dorsal surface brown or yellowish with a darker brown interorbital crossbar and inverse-Y shape on the back, (4) throat and chest yellow or yellowish brown with pinkish mottling and belly and ventral surfaces of limbs including hands and feet pinkish, (5) tympanum and supratympanic fold distinct, (6) iris pale gold with darker gold radiating out from anterior and posterior edges of pupil, (7) majority of dorsal body and limb surfaces smooth in adults, with some individuals having sparsely distributed low, irregular tubercles, (8) nuptial pads on fingers I and II in adult males, and (9) eggs deposited as a tightly spaced array of non-pendent eggs on the wall of a phytotelmon. The species occurs in syntopy with G. lumarius. At present, Gracixalus trieng sp. nov. is known only from montane bamboo and evergreen forest (>1700 m) on Mount Ngoc Linh and adjacent peaks; and it is likely to be restricted to high-elevation forest with an estimated geographical distribution of <1000 km2. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4545 (3) ◽  
pp. 389 ◽  
Author(s):  
SURANJAN KARUNARATHNA ◽  
AARON M. BAUER ◽  
ANSLEM DE SILVA ◽  
THILINA SURASINGHE ◽  
LANKANI SOMARATNA ◽  
...  

A new species of Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887 is described from Nilgala Savannah Forest in Sri Lanka. The new species is diagnosed from all other congeners by the following suite of characters: small body size (SVL< 33 mm), dorsal scales on trunk homogeneous, one pair of post mentals separated by a single small chin scale, ventral scales on trunk smooth, subimbricate, 17–19 scales across the belly. Subdigitals scansors smooth, entire, unnotched; lamellae under digit IV of pes 17 –18. Males with femoral pores on each thigh but lacking precloacal pores. Median row of subcaudals smooth, subimbricate, enlarged and in an irregular series of subhexagonal scales. This new species had been previously confused with Cnemaspis alwisi Wickramasinghe & Munidradasa, 2007. The new species differs from Cnemaspis alwisi by having 122–129 ventral scales (versus 146–152), 7–8 supralabials (versus 8–10), and relatively shorter SVL ranging between 31.5–32.9 mm (versus 37.8–39.9 mm). Further, the new species is genetically divergent from Cnemaspis alwisi, the species that it closely resembles by 13.5% and 7.8% from its sister species in the ND2 gene. The present discovery highlights the need for dedicated herpetofaunal explorations in Sri Lanka, especially the intermediate bioclimatic zone and associated cave systems and rock outcrops. 


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