Agasthyagama edge DAS, PAL, NARAYANAN, SUBIN, PALOT, RAJKUMAR & DEEPAK,0,, 2024
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Agasthyagama edge
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: northern kangaroo lizard” Malayalam: vadakan kangaroo oanth (native script in Das et al. 2024) |
| Synonym | Agasthyagama edge DAS, PAL, NARAYANAN, SUBIN, PALOT, RAJKUMAR & DEEPAK 2024: |
| Distribution | India (Kerala) Type locality: roadside disturbed tropical semi-evergreen forest patch in Kulamavu, Idukki district, Kerala, India (9.814150°N, 76.889926°E; 808 m a.s.l) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. ZSI/WRC/R/1165, an adult male (SVL 42.5 mm) (Fig. 6) collected by Sandeep Das, Muhamed Jafer Palot and K. Subin on 29 October 2021 Paratypes. ZSI/WRC/R/1166, ZSI/WRC/R/1167 (adult males) collection details same as holotype and ZSI/ WRC/R/1168 and ZSI/WRC/R/1169 (adult males), ZSI/ WRC/R/1170 (adult female) collected by the same team on the same day as the holotype from a similar disturbed forest patch (9.845741°N, 76.942100°E; 856 m a.s.l) on the roadside near to Kuyilimala bus stop, Idukki District, Kerala, India which is approximately seven km aerial distance from the holotype locality; ZSI/WRC/R/1171, ZSI/WRC/R/1172 (adult males), ZSI/WRC/R/1173 (sub- adult male) collected near Uppukunnu Government Trib- al School, Idukki District (9.845061°N, 76.881476°E; 636 m) by Muhamed Jafer Palot and Sandeep Das on 25 July 2017. BNHS 3222 and BNHS 3223 (subadult males) collected by Muhamed Jafer Palot and Sandeep Das, on 26 July 2017 from Idukki. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis and comparisons. A small-sized agamid (SVL 30–42.5 mm; n = 11) lizard characterised by the presence of heterogenous dorsolateral scales, oriented backwards, small overlapping scales with larger often trihedral scales; larger scales roughly forming 5 or 6 chevron shaped ridges on mid dorsum from nuchal region to above cloaca; strongly keeled enlarged scales randomly scattered laterally, 76–82 rows of scales around midbody; head with unequal keeled scales, supraciliary edge sharp; a small antehumeral pit present, tympanum concealed; nuchal and dorsal crests absent; ventral scales strongly keeled, larger than lateral scales, 73–80 ventrals from mentum to cloaca; gular scales at the mid-line nearly equal to the adjacent scales; males with a small dewlap, 32–35 scales from mentum to last dewlap scale; limbs slender, covered with larger keeled scales; 4th digit on pes much longer than others, 5th digit on pes much reduced. Uniform olive-brown body, with lighter, enlarged scales laterally, mid dorsum paler; breeding males with pale peach to grey mid dorsum; dewlap in breeding males with pale bluish-white centre flanked by reddish-brown stripe. Agasthyagama edge sp. nov. is the second species from the recently recognised genus Agasthyagama. It is superficially similar to A. beddomii in overall shape, size and colour but can be distinguished by combination of the following characters: 49–58 dorsal scales from behind occiput to above cloacal ending (vs. 60–67 dorsal scales in A. beddomii) and 32–35 dewlap ventral scales in males (vs. 37–44 dewlap ventral scales in males of A. beddomii). Additionally, dewlap stripe in breeding males of A. edge sp. nov. grey brown from mentum, gradually forming a brick-red elongated circle with pale bluish-white scales at the centre (vs. darker stripe with brick-red circle bordered with bright yellow scales on the outside and with a bright yellow to orange blotch at the centre in breeding males of A. beddomii). Description of the holotype (ZSI/WRC/R/1165). The holotype is generally in good condition; hemipenis everted, exposed and visible on both sides when viewed dorsally (Fig. 3A). Tail entire, curved towards the left; head slightly tilted towards the left a small incision of ca. 4 mm to extricate tissue, are artefacts of preservation. An adult male (SVL: 42.5 mm), morphometric and meristic data are summarised in Table 2. General habitus moderately compressed. Head moderately large (HL/SVL = 0.30), elongate (HW/HL = 0.63), maximum height less than maximum width, not depressed (HH/HL = 0.58). In profile, snout pointed, steeply tapering to a pointed tip; snout moderately long (SO/HL = 0.43), longer than orbital diameter (OD/SO = 0.73). Orbit large (OD/HL = 0.31); pupil round, eyelids covered with small rounded scales, a single row of scales bordering eyelids slightly elongate; four supraciliaries on each side, elongate, similar in size, with single anterior most supraciliary smallest. Canthals and supraciliaries imbricate, laterally forming a distinctly protruding supraorbital ridge. Rostral rectangular, approximately three times wider (1.6 mm) than high (0.6 mm), bordered by seven scales including first supralabial. Nostrils circular, positioned in upper half of a single roughly pentagonal nasal shield; nasal bordered by seven scales on each side, including one prenasal, one supranasal, two postnasals, with two subnasals and the first supralabial on left side, and three subnasals on right side; separated on both sides from rostral by prenasal (Fig. 6D). Supralabials roughly rectangular, more or less equal-sized, posterior-most being longest, bordered above by a row of scales starting behind prenasal; eight supralabials on the left, nine on the right side. Loreal region with irregularly arranged, flat to partially keeled scales; scales surrounding orbit, small, granular. Scales on postorbital and temporal region heterogeneous in shape and size, flat. Dorsal forehead and snout scales heterogeneous in size, weakly tubercular at the edges, becoming keeled on the supraorbital region and rear of the head. Scales on occipital region heterogeneous in shape and size; smaller scales weakly tubercular, larger ones with distinct keels. Parietal eye oval, longitudinally oriented, partially visible through a roughly rhomboid parietal which is subequal in size to contacting scales, with much smaller posteriorly. Single small spinose scale along the upper posterior temporal region, another small sharply keeled, partly spinose scale in the post tympanic region on each side; tympanum concealed. Mentum subpentagonal, longer than wide, slightly narrower than rostral; bordered laterally by a first infralabial and posteriorly by a pair of elongated postmentals, subequal in length to the mentum but do not contact each other, bordered posteriorly by a row of two enlarged chin shields, postmental pairs flat; 10 infralabials on each side. Remaining gular scales imbricate to subimbricate, subequal in size, partially keeled scales towards the side while central gular scales strongly keeled. Posterior gular region with enlarged, flat, strongly keeled, pointed, imbricate scales; anterior gular scales smaller, subimbricate; all gular scales directed posteromedially except a few median rows which are directed posteriorly. A small but distinct gular pouch present up to anterior to the forelimb insertion (Fig. 6E). Ventral scales larger than scales on posterior gular region, enlarged, flat, strongly keeled, pointed, imbricate, fairly homogenous; arranged in regular longitudinal rows directed posteriorly, 34 scales from mentum to last dewlap scale, 40 scales from posterior end of dewlap to cloacal opening. (Fig. 6E). Nuchal and dorsal crest absent (Fig. 6C). Scales on the nuchal region are smaller, less than half the size of those on the interorbital region, imbricate, strongly keeled. Body slender, relatively long (TrL/SVL = 0.40); 79 rows of scales around midbody; dorsal scale row with 53 scales, five transverse chevron shaped marking directed backwards from back of neck until groin along the vertebral region composed of three or four larger, sharply keeled trihedral dorsal scale rows on either side, separated by smaller dorsal scales; scales on flanks heterogeneous, smaller than those on back, oriented posteroventrally, partially keeled, intermixed with scattered larger, strongly keeled scales (Fig. 7B). Fore and hindlimbs relatively slender, tibia short (CL/SVL = 0.33); digits moderately long, ending in strong, elongate, slightly recurved claw; inter-digital webbing absent; subdigital lamellae entire, bi-mucronate, 14 subdigital lamellae on digit IV of manus and 17 subdigital lamellae on digit IV of pes including claw sheath; relative length of digits on manus 4 > 3 > 2 >5>1,ofpes4>3>2>1>5.Foreandhindlimbscovered above and below with regularly arranged, enlarged, pointed, strongly keeled scales. Tail moderately long (TL/ SVL = 1.86), entire, base swollen, uniformly covered with similar sized, keeled, pointed, regularly arranged, backwardly directed imbricate scales; subcaudal scales keeled, weakly pointed near base, becoming pointed posteriorly. (Das et al. 2024) |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | Named after the Zoological Society of London’s EDGE of Existence Program who supported SD and RKP, and several early career conser- vation researchers across the globe in their projects on evolutionarily distinct species. EDGE is an acronym for Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered. |
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