Pedioplanis huntleyi CONRADIE, MEASEY, BRANCH & TOLLEY, 2012
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Pedioplanis huntleyi
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| Higher Taxa | Lacertidae, Eremiadinae, Sauria, Lacertoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Pedioplanis huntleyi CONRADIE, MEASEY, BRANCH & TOLLEY 2012 Eremias undata — BOULENGER 1921 (part.) Eremias undata undata — LAURENT 1964 (part.) Pedioplanis huntleyi — CONRADIE et al. 2019 Pedioplanis huntleyi — PARRINHA et al. 2021 |
| Distribution | Angola (Ruacana, Namibe, Cunene Provinces, Iona National Park) Type locality: road to Oncocua, 7 km from Iona, Namibe Province, Angola (16°51’29.9’’ S, 12°36’45.9’’ E, 1612DC, 803 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | oviparous (phylogenetic imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: PEM R18479, adult male, collected by W.R. Branch, W. Conradie, G.J. Measey and K.A. Tolley, 21 January 2009. Field number KTH09-245. Allotype. An adult female (PEM R18487), collected by W. Conradie, 24 January 2009, 14 km west of Moimba, Namibe Province, Angola (16840?46.1?? S, 12858?26.3?? E, 1612DB, 684 m a.s.l). Field number WC09-29. Paratypes.*Thirteen specimens (six females, 8 males: PEM) |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: A rather large Pedioplanis, with an average SVL of 55 mm (max 59 mm) and a tail length two and a half times the SVL (Fig. 8). It can be distinguished from other species of the genus in Angola and neighboring regions by the following combination of characters: (1) lower eyelid with two enlarged transparent scales, usually with a row of smaller ones below; (2) five (rarely four or six) supralabials anterior to the subocular and three posteriorly; (3) one (sometimes two) row of small granules between the supraoculars and supraciliaries; (4) supraoculars preceded by a group of 6–13 (<12 in 75% of specimens) small granules; (5) ventral scales in ten longitudinal rows; (6) three dark dorsal stripes faded posteriorly. Coloration similar to P. haackei, but less variable. Dorsum greyish brown anteriorly and reddish-brown to brick red posteriorly, with three dark stripes starting behind the head and fading between midbody and two-thirds along the back. The vertebral stripe splits or widens at the neck and is often more faded than the dorsolateral stripes. On the flanks there is a dark lateral stripe that starts behind the eye and usually fades posteriorly, often faint and reticulated, with a series of yellow to blueish circles running along its lower edge. Hind limbs and tail reddish-brown to brick red, with the hindlimbs sometimes covered above by faint pale circles. White ventrally, sometimes reddish at the base of the tail (Parrinha et al. 2021: 26) Comparison with other Pedioplanis species. Pedioplanis huntleyi is readily distinguished from P. burchelli, P. laticeps, P. breviceps, P. namaquensis and P. husabensis by the presence two enlarged transparent scales on the lower eyelid (versus eight or more opaque to semi-transparent scales in other species); from P. lineoocellata by the presence of an enlarged tympanic shield (versus no enlarged tympanic shield in P. lineoocellata); from P. inornata, P. rubens, P. gaerdesi and P. branchi by the presence of dorsal stripes (versus no stripes in P. inornata, P. rubens, P. gaerdesi and P. branchi). P. huntleyi is identical in most morphological characters to P. undata and P. mayeri, from which it can be distinguished based on color pattern (dorsal stripes always faded posteriorly in P. huntleyi versus usually bold and distinct all the way to the tail in P. mayeri and bold or faded in P. undata) and geographic location (P. huntleyi restricted to Angola versus P. mayeri and P. undata restricted to Namibia). With respect to other Angolan species, P. huntleyi can be distinguished from P. benguelensis by a lower number of granules anterior to the supraoculars (usually <12 in P. huntleyi versus >13 in P. benguelensis), one row of granules between the supraoculars and supraciliaries (versus two in P. benguelensis) and color pattern (dorsal stripes faded posteriorly in P. huntleyi versus distinct all the way to the tail in P. benguelensis); it is distinguished from P. haackei by a larger SVL (average 54 mm in P. huntleyi versus 45 mm in P. haackei), a lower number of granules anterior to the supraoculars (usually <11 in P. huntleyi versus >12 in P. haackei) and one row of granules between the supraoculars and supraciliaries (versus two in P. haackei). It is distinguished from an undescribed species by the presence of two transparent scales on the lower eyelid (versus one, see description below)(Parrinha et al. 2021: 26) |
| Comment | Habitat. Prefers more compacted rocky substrate, well-vegetated scrub woodland and shrubland. |
| Etymology | The specific epithet is a patronym honouring the former CEO of the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Brian Huntley, who organised the expedition to Angola, and who has made valuable contributions to the conservation of Angolan biodiversity. The name is constructed in the masculine genitive. |
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