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Cercosaura pacha MAMANI, CHAPARRO, CORREA, ALARCÓN, SALAS & CATENAZZI, 2020

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Higher TaxaGymnophthalmidae (Cercosaurinae), Sauria, Gymnophthalmoidea, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common Names 
SynonymCercosaura pacha MAMANI, CHAPARRO, CORREA, ALARCÓN, SALAS & CATENAZZI 2020 
DistributionPeru (Pasco)

Type locality: Lanturachi, Fundo los Cocos, District of Huancabamba, Province of Oxapampa, Department of Pasco, Peru (10°23′02” S, 75°34′49” W, at 1986 m.  
Reproduction 
TypesHolotype: MUBI 14515 (Figure 6), an adult female, collected by J.C. Chaparro and C. Alarcón on 21 September 2014. Paratype: MUBI 14512 (Figure 7), a subadult female from near the type locality (10°23’29” S, 75°34’12”W, 1845 m). 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: (1) Body robust, SVL 49.7mmin a single adult female; (2) head flat, elongated, 1.4 times longer than wide; (3) ear opening distinct, slightly recessed; (4) nasals separated by frontonasal; (5) frontonasal undivided; (6) prefrontals, frontal, frontoparietals, parietals and interparietal present; (7) parietals longer than wide; (8) three supraocular; (9) 3–5 superciliar series complete; (10) nasal suture absent; (11) loreal present, in contact with the second supralabial; (12) 7–8 supralabial, four supralabials anterior to the posteroventral angle of the subocular, four infralabials; (13) 4–5 genial, all in contact; (14) collar fold present; (15) 32–35 transverse rows of dorsal, hexagonal, keeled, imbricate; (16) 19–20 transverse ventral rows, quadrangular, smooth, juxtaposed; (17) 37–38 scales around midbody; (18) lateral reduced scales at midbody in three lines; (19) limbs pentadactyl, all digits clawed; (20) 12–13 subdigital lamellae under finger IV, 18 under toe IV; (21) 6–7 femoral pores in females; (22) two preanal scales, three postanal scales; (23) tail up to 2.0 times longer than body; (24) caudals subimbricate, keeled dorsally, smooth ventrally; (25) lower palpebral disc transparent and divided in two; (26) in life the dorsum is brown with two cream dorsolateral stripe that stars over the eyes and join in the middle of the body forming a vertebral dorsal stripe that extends to the tail; lips with a cream line that extend from the third supralabial to the front of back leg; a cream lateral line between arm and leg, below the lateral line; all cream lines are bordered by continuous black spots; the venter is cream-reddish with some small scattered black spots, the gular region of head is cream-reddish with small black spots; tail is orange, with small dark spots ventrally and dorsally, and a cream-orange line laterally that begins at the back of legs and continues to tip of the tail (Figures 6 and 7).

Coloration (in preservative): the dorsal surface of the head, neck, and back is dark-brown, the dorsolateral lines are cream grayish and join at midbody to form a vertebral stripe that extends to the tail; the dorsal surface of the tail is dark brown with a dorsal stripe in the anterior part of the tail, and pale orange with some gray spots in the distal part; the lateral sides of the head and neck are blackish brown with a cream labial line that extends from the third supralabial to the anterior part of the insertion of posterior limbs; the ventral surface of the head is gray with small, irregular, brown spots; gular and ventral surfaces of the body are dark gray with cream spots around some scales; the ventral surface of the limbs and tail, are cream with some irregular, dark gray spots (Figure 6).

Color (in life): the dorsal surface of the body is brown with scattered black spots; the lateral surface of the body is blackish brown with black and cream spots that resemble ocelli; the ventral surface of the body is reddish cream with scattered black spots. The dorsal surface of the limbs is brown with small black spots, the ventral surface is reddish cream with small black spots. The dorsal and ventral surfaces of the tail are orange, and the ventral surfaces of the limbs are similar to the ventral surface of the body (Figures 6 and 7).

Comparisons: Cercosaura pacha sp. nov. is similar to C. anomala, C. doanae, C. hypnoides, and C. manicata. However, C. pacha sp. nov. di
ers from C. anomala by having dorsal surface of neck keeled (smooth in C. anomala), six genials (4–5); from C. doanae by having dorsal scale of neck polygonal, keeled, and the distal edges of scales are blunt (strongly keeled, and the distal edges are pointed in C. doanae), dorsolateral stripes forming a vertebral dorsal stripe (not forming a vertebral stripe); from C. hypnoides by having loreal scales in contact with supralabials (not in contact with supralabias), eight longitudinal ventral scales (six), dorsal scales of neck polygonals (rounded); from C. manicata by having three postoculars (four in C. manicata), three suboculars (4–5), eight longitudinal ventral scales (six). Furthermore, C. pacha sp. nov. di
ers from C. anordosquama, C. argulus, C. bassleri, C. eigenmanni, C. nigroventris, C. ocellata, C. olivacea, C. oshaughnessyi, C. parkeri, C. phelpsorum, C. quadrilineata, C. schreibersii, and C. steyeri in having a clear labial bar that extends from the third supralabial to the point of insertion of the posterior limbs, and cream dorsolateral stripes that extends over the eyes and join in the middle of the body forming a single vertebral dorsal stripe that reaches the tail. Additionally, C. pacha sp. nov. can be distinguished from C. argulus and C. oshaughnessyi by having an undivided frontonasal (divided in C. argulus and C. oshaughnessyi); from C. anordosquama, C. bassleri, C. ocellata and C. olivacea by having the keels of the dorsal scales not organized in longitudinal rows, and eight longitudinal ventral rows (organized in longitudinal rows, and six in C. anordosquama, C. bassleri, C. ocellata and C. olivacea); from C. eigenmanni by having 37–38 scales around midbody (26–32 in C. eigenmanni); from C. nigroventris by having 37–38 scales around the midbody (40–44 in C. nigroventris), dorsal scales strongly keeled (weakly keeled in C. nigroventris); from C. parkeri by having 37–38 scales around the mid-body (24–30 in C. parkeri); from C. phelpsorum by having dorsal scales strongly keeled (weakly keeled in C. phelpsorum); from C. quadrilineata by having eight longitudinal ventral scales (four in C. quadrilineata); from C. schreibersii by having eight longitudinal ventral scales (six in C. schreibersii); from C. steyeri by having eight longitudinal rows of ventral scales (four in C. steyeri) and 37–38 scales around midbody (17). 
Comment 
EtymologyThe specific epithet “pacha” is a female noun in Quechua language that means Earth. 
References
  • Mamani, Luis, Juan C Chaparro, Claudio Correa, Consuelo Alarcón, Cinthya Y Salas, and Alessandro Catenazzi. 2020. A New Species of Andean Gymnophthalmid Lizard (Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae) from the Peruvian Andes, and Resolution of Some Taxonomic Problems. Diversity 12 (9): 361 - get paper here
 
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