Phymaturus niger LOBO, BARRASSO, HIBBARD, QUIPILDOR, SLODKI, VALDECANTOS & BASSO, 2021
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Phymaturus niger
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| Higher Taxa | Liolaemidae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Phymaturus niger LOBO, BARRASSO, HIBBARD, QUIPILDOR, SLODKI, VALDECANTOS & BASSO 2021: 50 |
| Distribution | Argentina (Neuquén: Known only from two localities in Collón Curá Department) Type locality: Provincial Road No 50, 20 km east of intersection with National Road No 234 (40°07′07.5′′S; 70°29′25.6′′W; 1,062 m), Collón Curá Department, Neuquén Province, Argentina. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. Adult male IBIGEO‐R 5566, collected on 12 November 2016 by T. Hibbard, F. Lobo, M. Quipildor, D. Slodki, and S. Valdecantos. Paratypes. 8 females, 9 males, and 4 juveniles. IBIGEO‐R 5515‐18, 5520, 5526, and 5570‐71 adult males. IBIGEO‐R 5519, 5521, 5523, 5527, 5565, 5569, and 5577 adult females. IBIGEO‐R 5522, 5524, 5572–73 juvenile females. MACN 50905 (previously IBIGEO‐R 5567) adult female. All collected with the holotype. MACN 50906 (previously IBIGEO‐R 5574) adult male collected at Provincial Road No 50, 16 km east of intersection with National Road No 234 (40°06′46.4′′S; 70°32′01.1′′W; 1,007 m), Sañico, Collón Curá Department, on 12 November 2016 by T. Hibbard, F. Lobo, M. Quipildor, D. Slodki, and S. Valdecantos. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis (Table 2). Phymaturus niger sp. nov. belongs to the patagonicus group of Phymaturus because it exhibits flat and imbricated superciliary scales, smooth tail scales, and a set of enlarged scales projected over the tympanic region (Etheridge, 1995; Lobo and Quinteros, 1995). With‐ in the patagonicus group, Phymaturus niger sp. nov. belongs to the payuniae clade, indicated by the presence of a dark lateral band and the lack of ventral tail pattern with small scattered dark spots. Currently, the payuniae clade comprises seven described species—P. cacivioi, P. delheyi, P. nevadoi, P. payuniae, P. rahuensis, P. sitesi, and P. zapalensis—and P. robustus sp. nov., which is described after P. niger sp. nov. Phymaturus niger sp. nov. can be discriminated from all other members of the payuniae clade as follows: Phymaturus cacivioi: The throat pattern in P. niger sp. nov. is formed by a dense reticulation of thin interconnected lines (Fig. 6A), while in P. cacivioi it is dense and disrupted (Fig. 6B). In P. cacivioi, white dorsal spots form transver‐ sal lines, which never occurs in P. niger sp. nov. Ventral pattern of tail is present in P. cacivioi but absent in P. niger sp. nov. (Table 2). The belly of males is pink/orange in P. cacivioi, but in male P. niger sp. nov. it is yellow. Phymaturus cacivioi exhibits fewer midbody scales counted around midbody (x̅ = 203.2 ± 8.2 versus x̅ = 221.1 ± 16.3) than P. niger sp. nov. Phymaturus delheyi: Dorsal ocelli occur in female P. delheyi (Fig. 7) but are absent in female P. niger sp. nov. (Table 2). Female P. delheyi lack precloacal pores, while 10% of female P. niger sp. nov. exhibit them. Phymaturus delheyi never exhibits completely melanic individuals. The dorsal tail pattern of P. delheyi is spotted, while in P. niger sp. nov. the tail is ringed (Table 2). The sulcus spermaticus is open in the hemipenis of P. niger sp. nov. but closed in P. delheyi. Sulcus bifurcation is distal in P. niger sp. nov. but not distal in P. delheyi. The shape of the hemipenis differs between these two species in that, in lateral view, it is distinctly more curved in P. delheyi (Table 2). Phymaturus nevadoi: The dorsal white spots are large (formed by 9–16 scales) in P. nevadoi, but small in P. niger sp. nov. (formed by no more than 6 scales; Table 2). Female P. nevadoi possess dorsal ocelli, which are absent in P. niger sp. nov. The throat pattern in P. nevadoi is sparse and formed by thin lines (Fig. 6C), while it is formed by a dense reticulation of thin, interconnected lines in P. niger sp. nov. (some individuals lack any pattern; Table 2). The ventral pattern of the tail is present in P. nevadoi but absent in P. niger sp. nov. The belly color is pink/orange in male P. nevadoi and yellow in male P. niger sp. nov. (Table 2). Phymaturus nevadoi is slightly smaller (x̅ = 86.5 ± 4.16 mm SVL) than P. niger sp. nov. (x̅ = 91.0 ± 4.9 mm SVL). No P. nevadoi are completely melanic. Phymaturus nevadoi exhibits fewer scales around midbody (x̅ = 203.7 ± 9.9) than P. niger sp. nov. (x̅ = 221.1 ± 16.3). Phymaturus payuniae: Dorsal ocelli are present in female P. payuniae (Fig. 7) and absent in P. niger sp. nov. (Table 2). There are no completely melanic individuals of Phymaturus payuniae. The throat pattern in P. payuniae is sparse and formed by thin lines (Fig. 6C), while in P. niger sp. nov. (Fig. 6A) it is usually formed by a dense reticulation of thin, interconnected lines, although some individuals lack any pattern. The dorsal white spots are large (formed by 9–16 scales) in P. payuniae but small in P. niger sp. nov. (formed by no more than 6 scales; Table 2). The dorsal tail pattern is variegated in P. payuniae but ringed in P. niger sp. nov. There is a ventral tail pattern in P. payuniae (absent in P. niger sp. nov.). Phymaturus payuniae (x̅ = 81.8 ± 7.5 mm SVL) is smaller than P. niger sp. nov. (x̅ = 91.0 ± 4.9). |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The specific name “niger” (latin: black, dark, dusky) refers to the dominant coloration in this population. |
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