Desertum lugoi (MCCOY, 1970)
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Desertum lugoi
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| Higher Taxa | Anguidae (Gerrhonotinae), Diploglossa, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Lugo's Alligator Lizard S: Lagartija Escorpion de Lugo |
| Synonym | Gerrhonotus lugoi MCCOY 1970 Barisia lugoi — WADDICK & SMITH 1974 Gerrhonotus lugoi — GOOD 1988 Gerrhonotus lugoi — GOOD 1994 Gerrhonotus lugoi — LINER 1994 Gerrhonotus lugoi — LINER 2007 Gerrhonotus lugoi — GARCÍA-VÁZQUEZ et al. 2018 Desertum lugoi — BLAIR et al. 2022 |
| Distribution | Mexico (Coahuila: Sierra de San Marcos y Pinos and Sierra de la Madera mountains surrounding the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin; Nuevo León). Type locality: N tip of Sierra de San Marcos, approximately 11 km SW of Cuatro Ciénegas de Carranza. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: CM 49012 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis and definition (genus Desertum): A small-sized member of the subfamily Gerrhonotinae with postrostral scale single or absent; anterior internasal and frontonasal scales present; supranasal scales separated from postnasal scales and from each other; cantholoreal scale absent; superciliary scales six; primary temporal scales five; subocular scales three; supralabial scales 14–15; dorsal scales smooth; nuchal scale rows 10; longitudinal dorsal scale rows 18–20; transverse dorsal scale rows 56; longitudinal ventral scale rows 14–15; scales on the trailing edges of the limbs granular; and subgranular scales on the leading edges of the shanks absent. Comparisons: Desertum gen. nov. can be distinguished from all other members of Gerrhonotinae, except for some members of Gerrhonotus (G. farri, G. parvus and G. rhombifer), by having smooth dorsal scales (dorsal scales keeled in all members of Abronia, Barisia and Elgaria, and in G. infernalis, G. liocephalus, G. mccoyi, G. ophiurus and the undescribed species of Gerrhonotus from western Mexico). In addition, it can be distinguished from Elgaria by the absence of a cantholoreal scale and the presence of anterior internasal scales and granular scales on the trailing edges of the limbs; from Barisia, by having a frontonasal scale, more superciliary scales (6–6 vs. 1–3), and supranasal and postnasal scales separated from each other; from terrestrial Abronia (formerly Mesaspis), by the absence of subgranular scales on the leading edges of the shanks and the presence of more longitudinal ventral scale rows (14–15 vs. 8); and from arboreal Abronia by having more nuchal scale rows (10 vs. 6–8) and transverse dorsal scale rows (56 vs. < 40). Desertum gen. nov. may be distinguished from the species of Gerrhonotus with smooth dorsal scales as follows: from G. parvus, by the absence of a cantholoreal scale and the presence of anterior internasal scales, supranasal scales separated from each other, and more supralabial scales (14–15 vs. 12–13); from G. farri, by having more longitudinal dorsal scale rows (18–20 vs. 14), longitudinal ventral scale rows (14–15 vs. 12), subocular scales (3 vs. 2) and primary temporal scales (5 vs. 4); and from G. rhombifer, by having fewer postrostral scales (0-1 vs. 2) and supranasal scales separated from each other. Desertum gen. nov. also has more supralabial scales than any of these species (14–15 vs. 12–13). (Blair et al. 2022) |
| Comment | Abundance: Known from only 12 specimens (BRYSON & GRAHAM 2010, GARCÍA-VÁZQUEZ et al. 2016) Type species: Gerrhonotus lugoi MCCOY 1970 is the type species of the genus Desertum GARCÍA-VÁZQUEZ, NIETO-MONTES DE OCA & BRYSON JR Jr in BLAIR et al. 2022. Distribution: see map in Blair et al. 2021: Figure 1. |
| Etymology | Named after Jose "Pepe" Lugo Guajardo. The genus name comes from the Latin noun ‘desertum’, in the nominative singular neuter, meaning ‘desert, wilderness, or unfrequented places’, in reference to the remote arid habitats inhabited by the species of the genus. |
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