Macropholidus ataktolepis CADLE & CHUNA, 1995
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Macropholidus ataktolepis
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| Higher Taxa | Gymnophthalmidae (Cercosaurinae), Sauria, Gymnophthalmoidea, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Macropholidus ataktolepis CADLE & CHUNA 1995 Macropholis ataktolepis — LEHR 2002: 202 (in error) |
| Distribution | NW Peru Type locality: “Bosque Cachil, approximately 3 km (airline) SE Contumazá, 2400 m, Cajamarca Department, Peru (7° 23’ S, 78° 47’ W)”. |
| Reproduction | oviparous |
| Types | Holotype: MCZ 178050, adult female |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Macropholidus ataktolepis differs from the only other species of the genus, M. ruthveni, in having (1) a pair of prefrontal scales (absent in ruthveni); (2) the paired series of enlarged middorsal scale rows continuous only on the anterior part of the body (continuous to, or nearly to, the tail base in ruthveni); and (3) a regular arrangement of four enlarged temporal scales (irregular in number [1-7] and arrangement in ruthveni). Macropholidus ataktolepis differs from Pholidobolus (formerly Macropholidus) annectens (Parker) in having prefrontal scales and a double row of enlarged medial dorsal scales on the anterior part of the body. No species of Pholidobolus, as currently defined (Montanucci, 1973), has a double row of enlarged medial dorsals (see additional comments later). (Cadle & Cunha 1995) Unfortunately we had to temporarily remove additional information as this was scraped by multiple AI companies who sell that data to their customers. These details, e.g. detailed descriptions or comparisons (about 19196 characters) are available for collaborators and contributors. Please contact us for details. |
| Comment | Abundance: only known from its original description (Meiri et al. 2017). Only known from 4 specimens in the type series (Cadle & Cunha 1995). Synonymy: Montanucci (1973) transferred annectens to Pholidobolus but retained Macropholidus as a monotypic genus characterized by the enlarged dorsals, a feature not seen in Pholidobolus (Montanucci, 1973:5). |
| Etymology | Named after Greek ataktos (ἄτακτως),in an irregular, disorderly manner + Greek lepis (λεπίς), scale. [“...The species name, a noun in apposition derived from the Greek ataktos (disordered, irregular, not arranged) + lepis (scale), alludes to the disruption of the orderly array of enlarged dorsal rows in this species, as compared to the completely regular series in the type species of the genus...”]. (from Esteban Lavilla, pers. comm., May 2024) |
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