Diploderma aorun WANG, JIANG, ZHENG, XIE, CHE & SILER, 2020
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Diploderma aorun?
Diploderma aorun
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Aorun Mountain Dragon Chinese: 敖闰龙蜥 (Pinyin: Ao Run Long Xi) |
| Synonym | Diploderma aorun WANG, JIANG, ZHENG, XIE, CHE & SILER 2020: 238 Japalura flaviceps ZHAO & YANG 1997: 165 (part Japalura flaviceps — ZHAO et al. 1999: 111 (part) Japalura flaviceps — YANG & RAO 2008: 200 (part) |
| Distribution | China (Sichuan Province, Derong County to NW Yunnan, Deqin County), elevation below 3,000 m Type locality: Dari Village, Deqin County, Yunnan Province, China (99.1733° E, 28.5804° N, elevation 2,198 m, WGS 84) |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: KIZ 044735, adult male, from Dari Village, Deqin County, Yunnan Province, China (99.1733° E, 28.5804° N, elevation 2,198 m, WGS 84). Collected by Kai WANG, Xiankun HUANG, and Zhuoyu LU on June 17, 2019. Paratypes: KIZ 032734, 032736, 032737, adult males; KIZ 032735, adult female, all from areas near Benzilan township, Deqin County, Yunnan Province, China (99.3827° E, 28.1774° N, elevation 2010 m, WGS 84); collected by Kai WANG, Shuqi LI, and Gadeng Nima on June 4, 2017. KIZ 044431, adult male, KIZ 044432, 044433, adult females, from Rongzong Village, Deqin County, Yunnan Province, China (99.1733° E, 28.5804° N, elevation 2,198 m, WGS 84); KIZ 044740, adult male, KIZ 044742, adult female, near Zhidu, Deqin County, Yunnan Province, China (99.2241° E, 28.3545° N, elevation 2037 m, WGS 84); CIB 116315–16, subadult females, CIB 116318, adult male, all from Songmai Township, Derong County, Sichuan Province (99.292382° E, 28.701581° N, elevation 2520m, WGS 84), collected by Gang Wang and Puyang Zheng on August 29, 2019; KIZ 044764, adult male near Derong township, Sichuan Province, China (99.2773° E, 28.6714° N, elevation 2,412 m, WGS 84); all collected by Kai WANG, Zhuoyu LU, and Xiankun HUANG on June 19, 2019. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: The new species can be diagnosed from congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: (1) body size moderate, SVL 56.3–61.2 mm in males, 57.0–66.5 mm in females; (2) tail long, TAL 212.0%–221.1% SVL in males, 191.4%–207.7% in females; (3) hind limbs moderate, HLL 73.7%–82.7% SVL in males, 71.8%–80.5% in females; (4) head moderate, HW 66.8%–75.1% HL; (5) MD 36–45; (6) T4S 19–24; (7) post-rictal conical or sub-pyramidal scales weak and few, 1–3; (8) tympanum concealed; (9) nuchal crest well-developed on strong skin folds, serrated; (10) distinct transverse gular fold present; (11) ventral scales of head and body distinctively keeled; (12) ventral head scales and ventrolateral body scales homogeneous in size; (13) gular spots present in both sexes, Pale Cyan (Color 157) to Light Caribbean Blue (Color 163) in life, Plumbeous (Color 295) after longterm preservation; (14) dorsolateral stripes strongly jagged, Cream (Color 12) in males, white in females in life; (15) dark ornamentations (i.e., transverse bands, radial stripes around eyes) with strong contrast; (16) no distinct ornamentation pattern on ventrolateral body; (17) ventral body white in most individuals, sometimes pale yellowish in males; and (18) oral cavity, inner lips, and tongue light flesh color (Color 250) (Wang et al. 2021). |
| Comment | Similar species: D. batangense Distribution: the known extent of occurrence of D. aorun is only approximately 550 km2, which includes low-elevation (i.e., <3,500 m), hot–dry valleys along the isolated upper Jinsha River (from Benzilan to Zongrong Village) and its immediate tributaries (i.e., Dingqu and East Wangxuqu). Conservation: Although the Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve protects the west side of the Jinsha Valley within the range of D. aorun s p. nov., being the most peripheral parts of the reserve, much of the habitats still overlap greatly with rapid human developments, national highways, and tourist infrastructures. In fact, multiple illegal cement mills were observed at the type locality of the species, which devastate the limestone habitats around them. Additionally, the recent major landslides in 2018 and the discharge of its resulting barrier lake on the Jinsha River have led to severe habitat destructions along the Jinsha Valley, and the follow-up road repairs after the natural disaster further destroyed the low-elevation habitats. Despite the abundant individuals in some regions, the population density varies drastically across its range, and numerous human settlements fragment the continuous distribution of the species, leading to isolated populations along the valleys. Therefore, following IUCN criteria D2, we recommend listing D. aorun as Vulnerable (VU). |
| Etymology | The species name “aorun” is derived from the name of the legendary Dragon Lord in Chinese mythology (Chinese 敖闰, Pinyin: Ao Run), who is the guardian of the West Ocean and is responsible for creating precipitation. We name the new species after the guardian of the ocean in the hope that the recognition of its endangered status will bring protection to the fragile valley habitats that the species is endemic to, just like the dragon lord protecting its realm in the mythology. |
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