Acanthosaura aurantiogularis WANG, LU & CHE, 2026
Can you confirm these amateur observations of Acanthosaura aurantiogularis?
Acanthosaura aurantiogularis
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | Chinese: 橙喉棘蜥” (Pinyin: Chéng Hóu Jí Xī) E: Orange-throated Pricklenape |
| Synonym | Acanthosaura aurantiogularis WANG, LU & CHE in WANG et al. 2026: 325 |
| Distribution | China (Yunnan), probably neighboring Myanmar Type locality: Yunnan Province, Pu’er, Menglian County, Fuyan Township, Yinggou Village; 22.44792328°N, 99.44631053°E, elevation 1154 m (GCJ02); |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: KIZ 61664, ♂; 23 July 2025; Zhuo-Yu Lu, Xian-Kun Huang, Xiang-Jin Liu, and Ming-Ru Su leg.; GenBank: PZ733437 and PZ715332; . Paratypes. China • 1 ♀; Yunnan Province, Pu’er, Menglian County, Mengma township, Mengma Waterfall; 22.21642307°N, 99.38063466°E, elevation 1061 m (GCJ02); 20 July 2025; Zhuo-Yu Lu, Xian-Kun Huang, Xiang-Jin Liu, and Ming-Ru Su leg.; GenBank: PZ733438 and PZ715334; KIZ 55233; • 1 ♀; same collection data as the proceeding, GenBank PZ733439, PZ733436, PZ715333; KIZ 61665 |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Acanthosaura aurantiogularis sp. nov. can be diagnosed from congeners by a combination of the following morphological characters: (1) tail short, TAL 167% SVL in female; (2) length of post-orbital and occipital spines moderate, LOPS 11.0–15.1% HL, LLOC 9.5–15.9% HL; (3) nuchal crest erected, 5 or 6, discontinuous from dorsal crests, TNCL 13.8–18.7% HL; (4) diastema short, composed of 6–8 small scales; (5) dorsal crest erected, anterior most one shorter than nuchal, decreasing in length posteriorly; (6) enlarged middorsal crest scales 41; (7) gular pouch moderately developed, transverse gular fold present; (8) dorsal body scales heterogeneous, enlarged, conical scales scattered on dorsum, some clustering into short vertical or oblique rows; (9) dorsal background olive green, with enlarged dorsal scales bright green; (10) black eye patch discontinuous from black collar pattern on neck; (11) lips bright green or whitish green; (12) ventral body distinct from dorsal in coloration, dark grayish white in females, off-white in male; (13) large, elongated gular spot present in male only, bright orange, with irregular, cloud-like, dark gray patterns on lateral gular; and (14) oral cavity and tongue pink-flesh colored. (Wang et al. 2026) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data. However, these details, e.g. detailed descriptions (about less than half a page) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us if you need any of this material. |
| Comment | Distribution: the type locality is close to the border with Myanmar, hence the species likely occurs there as well. |
| Etymology | Named after Neo-Latin from the Latin aurantius, meaning “orange-colored,” and gularis, meaning “the throat”. This nomenclature is a direct descriptor of the lizard’s most striking and diagnostic morphological feature: the vibrant, unmarked orange-yellow gular pouch in males. |
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