Diploderma qilin WANG, REN, CHE & SILER, 2020
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Diploderma qilin
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | E: Qilin Mountain Dragon Chinese: 麒麟龙蜥 (Pinyin: Qi Lin Long Xi) |
| Synonym | Diploderma qilin WANG, REN, CHE & SILER in WANG et al. 2020: 251 Japalura flaviceps: Zhao and Yang (1997: 165–167), in part; Zhao et al. (1999: 111–115), in part; Yang and Rao (2008: 200), in part. |
| Distribution | China (NW Yunnan: Jinsha River Valley) Type locality: Jinsha River Valley in Balong, Deqin County, northwest Yunnan Province, China (27.7017° N, 99.4563°E, elevation 1982 m, WGS 84). |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: KIZ 028332, adult male, Collected by Kai WANG and Jinlong REN on July 9, 2016. Paratypes: KIZ 028333, adult male, same collecting information as for the holotype; KIZ 028334–336, adult females, same collecting information as for the holotype. KIZ 044412, 044413, adult males, near Baka Village, Shangri-La County, NW Yunnan Province, China (27.8066° N, 99.4527° E, elevation 2028 m); KIZ 044405, 044407, adult males, KIZ 044408, adult female, near Meiding Village, Shangri-La County, NW Yunnan Province, China (27.8811 N, 99.4440 E, elevation 1950 m); KIZ 044745, adult male, KIZ 044744, adult female, near Cangjue Village, Shangri-La County, NW Yunnan Province, China (27.6087 N, 99.5226 E, 1,939 m); KIZ 044820, adult female, near Pengnanshou Bridge, Shangri-La County, NW Yunnan Province, China (28.0301 N, 99.4215 E, elevation 2,619 m); all collected by Kai WANG, Zhuoyu LU, and Xiankun HUANG on June 15, 2019. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: The new species can be diagnosed from congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: (1) body length moderate, SVL 55.9–66.5 mm in males, 55.3–61.7 mm in females; (2) tail long, TAL 201.0%–218.2% SVL in males, 174.3%–199.7% in females; (3) hind limbs moderate HLL 73.3%–78.4% SVL in males, 72.5%– 80.4% in females; (4) head relatively robust, HW 65.0%–73.2% HL, HD 72.3%–82.8% HW; (5) MD 38–45; (6) F4S 15–19; (7) T4S 21–25; (8) conical or subpyramidal, post-rictal scales moderately developed, 3–8; (9) tympanum concealed; (10) transverse gular fold present, distinct; (11) ventral scales of head and body distinctively keeled; (12) gular spots present in both males and females, Light Sulphur Yellow (Color 93); (13) oral cavity uniformly Light Flesh Color (Color 250); (14) dorsolateral stripes present, jagged, always in males, sometimes in females, Cream Yellow (Color 82) in males, Beige (Color 254) in females; (15) ventrolateral body Light Sulphur Yellow (Color 93) in males; and (16) ventral body uniform white or Pale Buff (Color 1) in both sexes (Wang et al. 2021). |
| Comment | Similar species: D. brevicauda and D. yulongense Publication date: The online publication time for the manuscript that describe the species (December 2020) is earlier than the publication time of the entire issue of the journal (January 2021), which is why the taxonomic authority is 2020 instead of 2021. Conservation: The estimated extent of occurrence is approximately 700 km2 along the Jinsha River Valley. Most of the habitats overlapped with human inhabitations and major highways and are not covered by any existing natural reserves. Continuous expansions of agriculture and tourist infrastructure were observed between 2016 and 2019, which had led to serious habitat destructions of the species. According to IUCN criteria D2, we recommend listing the species as Vulnerable (VU). |
| Etymology | The specific name, qilin, is derived from the Chinese name of the legendary beast (麒麟). According to Chinese mythology, Qilin is the son of the dragon, with a golden yellow body coloration, which matches the diagnostic gular color of the new species. |
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