Alopoglossus gansorum RIBEIRO-JÚNIOR, SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ, MORAES, COSTA DE OLIVEIRA, CARVALHO, CHOUERI, WERNECK & MEIRI, 2021
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Alopoglossus gansorum
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| Higher Taxa | Alopoglossidae, Sauria, Gymnophthalmoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Alopoglossus gansorum RIBEIRO-JÚNIOR, SÁNCHEZ-MARTÍNEZ, MORAES, COSTA DE OLIVEIRA, CARVALHO, CHOUERI, WERNECK & MEIRI 2021 Alopoglossus aff. atriventris — WALDEZ et al. 2013: 309, Figure 4f Alopoglossus angulatus “Southwest” — RIBEIRO-JÚNIOR et al. 2020: 6 |
| Distribution | Brazil (Amazonas) Type locality: Igarapé do Jacinto, Tapauá, Amazonas state, Brazil (−5.69, −63.21) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | olotype. INPA-H 34819, adult female, collected by Alexandre Almeida and Luciana Frazão (Figures 3 and 4). Paratypes. INPA-H 14001 (female), INPA-H 14003 (female), INPA-H 14005 (male), INPA-H 14007 (female), all collected on 2004 at Lago Ayapuá, Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Piagaçu-Purus, Anori, Amazonas, Brazil (−4.36, −62.15), by Fabiano Waldez; INPA-H 34770, male, collected at Reserva Biológica do Abufari, Tapauá, Amazonas, Brazil (−5.28, −62.94), by Alexandre Almeida and Luciana Frazão; INPA-H 34780, male, collected at Igarapé do Jacinto, Tapauá, Amazonas, Brazil (−5.71, −63.22), by Alexandre Almeida and Luciana Frazão; CZPB-RP 179, collected at Turiaçu, trilha oeste (at the 2500 m from the beginning of the trail), Tapauá, Amazonas, Brazil (−4.97, −62.98), by Deyla Oliveira, Juliana Vieira, Luciana Frazão-Luiz, Sergio Marques and Vinícius Carvalho; CZPB-RP 180, collected at Turiaçu, trilha leste (1000 m), Tapauá, Amazonas, Brazil (−4.98, −62.96), by Deyla Oliveira, Juliana Vieira, Luciana Frazão-Luiz and Sérgio Marques. Other specimens: MPEG |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Alopoglossus gansorum sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species of Alopoglossus by the combination of the following characters: (1) non-granular, keeled, imbricate scales on medial and posterior sides of neck, varying from phylloid to mucronate with almost rounded posterior margins, in 11–14 transverse rows; (2) four pairs of chin shield scales; (3) laterally to the fourth pair of chin shields, two large well-developed scales separating the third pair of chin shields from gular scales; (4) smooth scales along midventral gular region, with almost rounded posterior margins; (5) smooth scales on anterior temporal region; (6) feebly pointed distally scales on posterior temporal region; (7) smooth first supratemporal scale; (8) feebly keeled distally second supratemporal scale (smooth aspect), with an almost flat aspect, just slightly folding laterally toward the temporal region; (9) supratemporal scales separated from each other by a temporal scale, or touching each other with acute contact margins; (10) 20– 23 total number of femoral pores in males. Alopoglossus gansorum sp. nov. is also distinguished from other species of Alopoglossus by the combination of the following hemipenial characters: (11) progressive widening of the sulcus spermaticus; (12) sulcus spermaticus running in the frontal face of the base of the lobes; (13) sulcate face with a fine area parallel to the sulcus spermaticus without ornaments; (14) hemipenial body and base ornamented by 24 transversal flounces covering almost the complete organ; (15) lobes with pointed distal ends; and (16) absence of hemipenial body distal expansion. Comparisons with other species. Alopoglossus gansorum sp. nov. differs from A. atriventris, A. buckleyi, A. copii, A. embera, A. festae, A. lehmanni and A. viridiceps (in parentheses) in having non-granular, keeled, imbricate scales on medial and posterior sides of neck (vs. granular in A. atriventris and A. buckleyi; mostly granular in A. embera, A. festae, A. lehmanni and A. viridiceps; conical with apparent bare skin between conical scales in A. copii); it also differs from A. embera, A. festae and A. viridiceps in not having gulars arranged in two longitudinal rows (vs. a double longitudinal row of widened gular scales), and from A. lehmanni in having dorsal scales rhomboidal, in oblique rows (vs. dorsal scales hexagonal with parallel lateral edges, in transverse rows). From species of the A. angulatus group, A. gansorum sp. nov. differs from A. andeanus, A. angulatus, A. avilapiresae, A. carinicaudatus, A. collii, A. tapajosensis sp. nov., and A. theodorusi in having four pairs of chin shields (vs. three pairs of chin shields; Figure 5a,c). From species having four pairs of chin shields, A. gansorum sp. nov. differs from A. amazonius, A. indigenorum sp. nov., and A. meloi in having supratemporal scales separated from each other by a temporal scale, or touching each other with acute contact margins (vs. supratemporal scales in contact with each other, forming an evident, straight suture between them; Figure 5d,e). Alopoglossus gansorum sp. nov. also differs from A. amazonius, and A. meloi in having smooth temporal scales (vs. keeled), and feebly keeled distally second supratemporal scale, with smooth and flat aspect, just slightly folding laterally toward the temporal region (vs. strongly keeled second supratemporal scale, clearly folding laterally toward the temporal region); and from A. meloi in having 11–14 transverse rows of scales on the sides of the neck (vs. 6–8), and smooth scales on midventral gular region, with almost rounded posterior margins (vs. keeled, phylloid gular scales). Alopoglossus gansorum sp. nov. also differs from A. indigenorum sp. nov. in having, laterally to the fourth pair of chin shields, two large well-developed scales separating the third pair of chin shields from gular scales (vs. two small scales separating the third pair of chin shields from gular scales, or even third pair in short contact with gular scales; Figure 5a,b). Based on hemipenial characters, A. gansorum sp. nov. is distinguished from A. copii in having a lobular base branched in two lobes (vs. lobular base not bifurcated), an area without ornaments in the distal region of the lateral and asulcate faces (vs. ornamented distal areas in lateral and asulcate faces), progressive widening of the sulcus spermaticus (vs. no changes in the widening of the sulcus spermaticus), a fine area parallel to the sulcus spermaticus without ornaments (vs. sulcate face completely covered with flounces), and 24 transversal flounces covering almost the complete organ (vs. 21 in A. copii). A. gansorum sp. nov. differs from A. atriventris, A. buckleyi and A. festae in having 24 transversal flounces that cover almost the complete organ (vs. 25–30 transversal flounces in A. atriventris, 37 in A. buckleyi, and 12 in A. festae), sulcus spermaticus running in the frontal face of the base of the lobes (vs. sulcus spermaticus running in the medial faces of the lobes), lobes with pointed distal ends (vs. lobes with rounded distal ends), progressive widening of the sulcus spermaticus (vs. no changes in the widening of the sulcus spermaticus), and absence of hemipenial body distal expansion (vs. presence of a distal body expansion); it also differs from A. atriventris and A. buckleyi in having an area without ornaments in the distal region of the lateral and asulcate faces (vs. ornamented distal areas in lateral and asulcate faces). Alopoglossus gansorum sp. nov. differs from A. angulatus, A. avilapiresae, and A. indigenorum sp. nov. in having a progressive widening of the sulcus spermaticus (vs. no changes in the widening of the sulcus spermaticus), and 24 transversal flounces covering almost the complete organ (vs. 12–14 transversal flounces, in A. angulatus; 16 in A. avilapiresae; 21–22 in A. indigenorum sp. nov.); it also differs from A. angulatus and A. indigenorum sp. nov. in having a fine area parallel to the sulcus spermaticus without ornaments (vs. a decreasing ornamented area on the sides of the sulcus spermaticus, in A. angulatus; sulcate face completely covered with flounces, in A. indigenorum sp. nov.). Coloration in life. Paratype INPA-H 14005, an adult male, from Lago Ayapuá, Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Piagaçu-Purus, Anori, Amazonas state, Brazil (−4.36, −62.15) (Figure 6a): dorsal surfaces of head, body, limbs and tail light brown; from nape and along middorsal surface, to the base of tail, large black dots forming an irregular longitudinal series of dots; on the posterior dorsal surface of body, between the hind limbs and the base of the tail, the black dots merge to form an inconspicuous wide, black medial band. Lateral surface of head light brown, with a continuous dark-brown line extending from the nostril to above the ear opening, and a continuous dark-brown line extending from below the eye to below the ear opening; lateral surfaces of neck and body black; a continuous white stripe extending posteriorly from the supralabials under the eye, passing through the lower part of the ear opening and neck, above the forelimbs, and reaching ventrolaterally the flanks. Iris vividly orange. Paratype CZPB-RP 179, an adult male, from Reserva Biológica Abufari, comunidade Turiaçu, Tapauá, Amazonas state, Brazil (−4.97, −62.98) (Figure 6b,c), and specimen from Floresta Estadual de Canutama, Canutama, Amazonas state, Brazil (−6.49, −64.57) (Figure 6d): dorsal surfaces of head and body light brown, and dorsal surfaces of limbs dark-brown; speckled black dots can be seem on head, neck and limbs. Lateral surfaces of head, neck and flank black; a continuous white stripe extending posteriorly from the supralabials under the eye, passing through the lower part of the ear opening and neck, above the forelimbs, and reaching ventrolaterally the flanks. Iris vividly red in CZPB-RP 179, and vividly orange in the specimen from Canutama. CZPB-RP 179 with ventral surfaces of head, gular and body white with black dots; on head, dots are mainly concentrated on sutures of scales, and on gular and body mainly on anterior and lateral margins of the scales; posterior surface of body, preanal plate, hind limbs and tail orange, with a few sparse, small black dots (Figure 6c). Variation. All specimens have frontoparietals with long, straight medial suture in contact with each other, except INPA-H 14001 (juvenile) that has a relatively short but straight medial suture. Specimen INPA-H 14007 has one postocular on one side and two on the other side (all other specimens have 2–3 postoculars); only the holotype (INPA-H 34819) has eight supralabials on one side (all other specimens have seven supralabials on both sides). INPA-H 14003 has supratemporals touching each other, with acute contact margins on both sides; MPEG 15861 has supratemporals touching each other on the right side, with acute contact margins (left side with supratemporals separated from each other by one temporal scale). INPA-H 14001 and INPA-H 34780 (juveniles) have parietals and interparietal without lateral ridges (smooth). INPA-H 14001 has third pair of chin shields separated from each other by one small scale anteriorly, one large scale posteriorly, and contacting each other on medial region (all other specimens have third pair of chin shield complete separated from each other); fourth pair of chin shield either completely separated from each other by large/small scales or separated from each other only posteriorly; scales of the fourth pair of chin shields and large scales laterally to them either in direct contact with gulars or separated from them by small scales. All specimens (juveniles and adults) have smooth gular scales with rounded posterior margins (except lateralmost scales, varying from feebly to strongly keeled); ventral scales smooth with irregular posterior margins, varying from almost straight to rounded. Preanal and femoral pores are absent in females. In males, the femoral pores are arranged in a continuous, well-separated series on each side; two pores on each side are in the preanal position; each pore is between two scales; total number of pores 20–23 (INPA-H 34780: 20 pores; INPA-H 14005 and INPA-H 34770: 23 pores). Tables 3 and 4 present a summary of the variation in meristic characters and measurements, respectively. Table S2 presents a summary of the measurements in males and females. Variation in coloration in preservative: on dorsal surface of head, speckled very small dark-brown dots forming an inconspicuous longitudinal stripe from rostral to either frontoparietal suture or prefrontal–frontal suture. Large dark-brown dots forming a mid-dorsal series of dots from the nape to the base of tail, or only from hind limbs to the base of tail. In males, anterolateral surface of head, upper temporal region, and upper flank light brown densely speckled with very small dark-brown dots; lower temporal region, lateral surface of neck and medial surface of flanks black; ventralmost lateral surface of head, neck and flanks (below the cream line) black with scattered cream large dots; from second pair of chin shields to collar, very small black spots covering almost all scales; all ventral scales covered anteriorly and laterally by very small black spots. |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The specific epithet in genitive plural refers to Carl Gans and the Gans family. Members of the Carl Gans family run the Gans Collections and Charitable Fund, a private foundation established by Carls Gans to offer grants to students or researchers working in collection-based research. Their efforts in continuing and perpetuating Carl Gans’ legacy in taxonomy have allowed the discovering of considerable species diversity in the main ecoregions around the globe, from the Sahara Desert to the Amazonia. The uncovered species diversity and new descriptions supported by the Gans Fund become crucial tools in conservation policies. The foundation also helps to keep alive and active taxonomy initiatives, a field in general biology often neglected by governments and policy decisions. This study and many others were only possible thank to the Gans Collections and Charitable Fund. |
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