Stenocercus asenlignus VENEGAS, GARCÍA-AYACHI, CHÁVEZ-ARRIBASPLATA & GARCÍA-BRAVO, 2022
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Stenocercus asenlignus
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| Higher Taxa | Tropiduridae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Stenocercus asenlignus VENEGAS, GARCÍA-AYACHI, CHÁVEZ-ARRIBASPLATA & GARCÍA-BRAVO 2022: 5 |
| Distribution | Peru (Amazonas) Type locality: Omia (6°28’12.702”S, 77°23’45.187”W, 1,381 m), Rodríguez de Mendoza Province, Amazonas Department, Peru |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. CORBIDI 20219, an adult male, collected by P.J. Venegas and L.A. García-Ayachi on 5 December 2018. Paratypes (24): PERU: SAN MARTÍN DEPARTMENT: Mariscal Cáceres Province: MUSM 23034, adult male, MUSM 23035–38, adult females, and MUSM 23039, a juvenile, from El Dorado (06°46’00”S, 77°32’42”W, 1,600 m), collected by P.J. Venegas between 6 and 8 December 2003; CORBIDI 00622 adult female from Los Chilchos (06°42’28.7”S, 77°34’0.9”W, 1,800 m), collected by P.J. Venegas on 28 January 2008; CORBIDI 14780, adult male from Río Lejía (06° ̊50’11.6”S, 77°29’09.7”W, 1,500 m), collected by M. Salas on 14 June 2012; AMAZONAS DEPARTMENT: Rodríguez de Mendoza Province: CORBIDI 15658, juvenile, from Omia village (6°27’58.5”S, 77°23’50.9”W, 1,390 m), collected by A. García-Bravo on 11 November 2014; CORBIDI 20215–16, 20218, and 20221, adult males, CORBIDI 20214, 20217, and 20220, adult females, and CORBIDI 20222, a juvenile male, from Omia (6°28’12.702”S, 77°23’45.187”W, 1,381 m), collected by P.J. Venegas and L.A. García-Ayachi on 5 December 2018; CORBIDI 20135, adult female, from Santo Toribio village (6°1’55.179”S, 77°19’45.308”W, 1,622 m), collected by P.J. Venegas and A. García-Ayachi on 11 November 2018; CORBIDI 20198, juvenile female, CORBIDI 20199, juvenile male, and CORBIDI 20200–01, adult females, from Fundo Playas del Inca, Santo Toribio, Vista Alegre (6°1’56.356”S, 77°21’6.385”W, 1,682 m), collected by P.J. Venegas and L.A. García-Ayachi on 17 November 2018; CORBIDI 23003, a juvenile, from Limabamba (6°37’53.98”S, 77°26’22.33”W, 2,036 m), collected by Ivan Wong on 30 July 2019; HUÁNUCO DEPARTMENT: Marañón Province: CORBIDI 19549, adult female, from Nuevo Cajhán village, Cholón (8°52’8.076”S, 76°28’44.688”W, 1,625 m), collected by L.A. García- Ayachi on 23 June 2017. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: From the 76 previously known species Stenocercus and the new species described herein, only S. arndti, S. leybachi sp. nov., S. bolivarensis Castro & Ayala, 1982, S. carrioni Parker, 1934, S. chlorostictus Cadle, 1991, S. crassicaudatus, S. empetrus, S. eunetopsis, S. flagracanthus, S. nigrocaudatus sp. nov., S. qalaywasi sp. nov., S. torquatus and S. simonsii Boulenger, 1901, share with S. asenlignus granular scales on posterior surface of thighs, relatively short tail, caudals spinose, and two caudal whorls per autotomic segment. However, S. torquatus and S. qalaywasi, are easily distinguished from S. asenlignus (state of character between parentheses) by having transverse black nuchal bands (absent), a middorsally complete antehumeral black collar (incomplete) and, only in the case of S. torquatus (Fig. 10A), the dorsum is emerald green without bands (green with black bands in males). Moreover, S. qalaywasi possesses a longer tail with 57–60 % of the total length versus 49–57% in S. asenlignus. Live male individuals of S. nigrocaudatus can be readily distinguished from S. asenlignus by having the tail black with scattered turquoise spots (tail light brown or grayish brown with dark gray spots or bands) and the body without dorsal black bands (present). In addition, in S. asenlignus the dorsal scales of the body are keeled, becoming gradually strongly keeled and mucronate toward the hindlimb insertion and in S. nigrocaudatus dorsal scales are smooth and feebly keeled becoming strongly keeled but not mucronate close to the hindlimbs insertion. Stenocercus leybachi can be readily distinguished from S. asenlignus by having a distinct, low, serrate crest on the neck that can reach or not to the middle of dorsum, while in S. asenlignus, vertebrals form an indistinct row of enlarged scales along the body. Moreover, S. asenlignus has more vertebrals than S. leybachi (71–106, x̅ = 89.8 versus 63–73, x̅ = 68.6, respectively). Stenocercus torquatus has more scales around midbody than S. asenlignus (102 to 137,x̅ = 116.9 versus 78 to 111, x̅ = 96.4, respectively). The recently described S. flagracanthus differs from S. asenlignus in having a tail strongly armed with projected mucronate scales that are less developed in S. asenlignus. In the distal half of the tail of S. flagracanthus the spines are conspicuously alternating in size, with large spines followed by small spines per each caudal whorl, and in S. asenlignus, the alternation in size of spines is undistinguishable. Dorsal scales between the posterior half of body and hindlimbs insertion become enlarged and strongly keeled with strongly projected mucronate scales in S. flagracanthus, while in S. asenlignus, they are keeled and, in some specimens, slightly mucronate. Furthermore, the dorsal and gular pattern is different in both species (state of characters in S. flagracanthus between parentheses): usually adult males of S. asenlignus possess a “zig-zag” pattern of black dorsal bars on dorsum (bold black bars; see Fig. 11 in Venegas et al. 2020a), antehumeral collar bordered by cream spots (cream line), and preserved specimens have the gular region gray with scattered black flecks (gray with cream dots). The other species such as S. carrioni, S. chlorostictus and S. eunetopsis differ from S. anselignus by having dorsal scales of neck keeled and imbricate (granular in S. asenlignus). Stenocercus eunetopsis has a considerably longer tail than S. asenlignus (64–66% of total length vs. 49–57%, respectively), and S. chlorostictus has a strong sexual dichromatism, with the dorsal background color bright green in males and brown in females (males and females gray, brown or green in S. asenlignus). Stenocercus bolivarensis differs from S. asenlignus by having strongly keeled and imbricate lateral body scales (Torres-Carvajal 2007b), which are granular or smooth in S. asenlignus. Stenocercus asenlignus differs from S. crassicaudatus by having fewer paravertebrals (92 to 118, = 105.8 versus 107 to 166, = 126.6), and a shorter tail (49 to 57% of total length versus 57 to 62%). Males of S. arndti are easily distinguished from S. asenlignus by having a bold black transverse band at midbody that extends ventrolaterally (absent in S. asenlignus) and dorsal scales of neck slightly keeled and subimbricate (granular in S. asenlignus). Stenocercus simonsii differs from S. asenlignus (character states in parentheses) by having dorsals imbricate, moderately keeled, but not mucronate (dorsals granular in the anterior half of body, getting gradually enlarged and keeled from the posterior half of body to strongly keeled and mucronate near to the hindlimbs insertion). Stenocercus empetrus differs from S. asenlignus by having the venter yellowish-orange with black reticulations, or completely black, whereas in the new species the venter is gray without reticulations. In addition, S. simonsii and S. empetrus are larger than S. asenlignus (maximum SVL = 88 mm in males and 79 mm in females of S. simonsii, SVL = 103 mm in males and 90 mm in females of S. empetrus, and maximum SVL = 73 mm in males and 70 mm in females of S. asenlignus). (Venegas et al. 2022) |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The specific epithet asenlignus is a noun in apposition and derives from the Latin words “asen” (= climb or ascend) and “lignus” (= trunk). It refers to the arboreal habitus of the new species. |
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