Celestus hesperius SCHOOLS & HEDGES, 2024
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Celestus hesperius
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| Higher Taxa | Diploglossidae, Diploglossa, Anguimorpha, Sauria, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Celestus hesperius SCHOOLS & HEDGES 2024: 59 Celestus crusculus crusculus — Grant 1940: 102 (part) Celestus crusculus — Schwartz & Henderson 1991: 369 (part) Celestus crusculus crusculus — Hedges et al. 2019: 17 (part) Celestus crusculus — Schools & Hedges 2021: 220 (part) Celestus crusculus — Landestoy et al. 2022: 204 (part) |
| Distribution | Jamaica Type locality: 3.2 km SE of Content, Hanover Parish, Jamaica |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype. USNM 328154, an adult female, collected by S. Blair Hedges and David Powars on 8 January 1984 (18.351, -77.991, 201 m). Paratypes (n=2). Hanover. USNM 328155, S. Blair Hedges and David Powars, 3.2 km SE of Content (18.351, -77.991, 201 m), 8 January 1984. Westmoreland. USNM 328156, S. Blair Hedges and David Powars, 5.3 km N of Town Head, 16 January 1984. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis. Celestus hesperius sp. nov. has (1) a dorsal pattern of dots in chevrons, (2) head markings absent, (3) markings in the longitudinal paramedian area absent/present, (4) dots arranged in bars in the lateral band absent, (5) an adult SVL of 54.0–62.3 mm, (6) ventral scale rows, 111–114, (7) midbody scale rows, 39–44, (8) total lamellae on one hand, 29–34, (9) total strigae on ten scales, 95–122, (10) relative length of all digits on one hindlimb, 21.7– 26.2 %, (11) relative distance between the angled subocular and mouth, 0.594–0.648 %, (12) relative eye length, 3.61–3.74 %, (13) relative forelimb length, 18.6–21.3 %, (14) relative ear width, 1.52–1.59 %, (15) relative rostral height, 1.60–1.77 %, (16) relative head length, 15.7–17.7 %, (17) relative mental width, 1.51–1.78 %, (18) relative postmental width, 2.87–2.92 %, (19) relative cloacal width, 7.99–8.55 %, (20) relative prefrontal width, 4.65–5.02 %, (21) relative largest supraocular width, 1.91–2.22 %, (22) relative longest finger length, 3.50–4.04 %, (23) rela- tive distance between the ear and eye, 6.74–7.53 %, (24) relative head width, 76.5–79.8 %, (25) relative frontal width, 80.5–86.1 %, (26) relative nasal height, 1.09–1.44 %, (27) relative angled subocular height, 0.963–1.24 %, (28) relative distance between the eye and naris, 4.70–5.28 %, (29) relative canthal iii length, 1.77–1.93 %, (30) relative angled subocular width, 2.01–2.48 %, and (31) relative nasal length, 1.52–1.78 %. The species stem time is 2.33 Ma and the species crown time is 0.41 Ma (Fig. 4). we distinguish Celestus hesperius sp. nov. from the other species of Celestus based on a complex of traits. From Celestus barbouri, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus chevrons), the adult SVL (54.0–62.3 versus 78.4–93.6), the ventral scale rows (111–114 versus 118–151), the midbody scale rows (39–44 versus 47–56), the total lamellae on one hand (29–34 versus 36–49), the relative distance between angled subocular and mouth (0.594–0.648 versus 0.437–0.556), and the relative prefrontal width (4.65–5.02 versus 3.97–4.33). From C. capitulatus sp. nov., we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by relative forelimb length (18.6– 21.3 versus 14.3–18.1) and the relative width of canthal iii (1.77–1.93 versus 1.61–1.70). From C. crusculus, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the relative head width (76.5–79.8 versus 72.1–76.4). From C. duquesneyi, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus bands), the midbody scale rows (39–44 versus 48), the total lamellae on one hand (29–34 versus 64), and the relative ear width (1.52–1.59 versus 2.45). From C. hewardi, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus mottled/bands), the adult SVL (54.0–62.3 versus 129–171), the total lamellae on one hand (29–34 versus 50–61), the total strigae on ten scales (95–122 versus 164–315), the relative distance between angled subocular and mouth (0.594–0.648 versus 0.744–1.40), the relative forelimb length (18.6–21.3 versus 22.2–24.6), the relative cloacal width (7.99–8.55 versus 8.81–9.89), the relative largest supraocular width (1.91–2.22 versus 2.43–2.96), the relative longest finger length (3.50–4.04 versus 5.03–5.66), and the relative frontal width (80.5–86.1 versus 57.3–75.3). From C. jamesbondi sp. nov., we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the relative frontal width (80.5–86.1 versus 70.5–77.6). From C. macrolepis, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus bicolored), the adult SVL (54.0–62.3 versus 254–316), the midbody scale rows (39–44 versus 46–48), the total lamellae on one hand (29–34 versus 52–54), the total strigae on ten scales (95–122 versus 398), the relative length of digits on one hindlimb (21.7–26.2 versus 27.5–28.0), the relative distance between angled subocular and mouth (0.594–0.648 versus 1.39–1.66), the relative forelimb length (18.6–21.3 versus 26.1–26.7), the relative ear width (1.52–1.59 versus 0.760–1.43), the relative head length (15.7–17.7 versus 19.2–22.9), the relative largest supraocular width (1.91–2.22 versus 2.64–3.01), the relative longest finger length (3.50–4.04 versus 5.47–5.51), and the relative distance between the ear and eye (6.74–7.53 versus 8.02–10.9). From C. macrotus, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus chevrons/bands), the dots arranged in bars in the lateral areas (absent versus present), the ventral scale rows (111–114 versus 87–93), the total lamellae on one hand (29–34 versus 39–40), the relative length of digits on one hindlimb (21.7–26.2 versus 30.2–31.2), the relative eye length (3.61–3.74 versus 3.79–5.17), the relative forelimb length (18.6–21.3 versus 22.4–25.0), the relative ear width (1.52–1.59 versus 1.75–2.08), the relative head length (15.7–17.7 versus 18.2–20.5), the relative largest supraocular width (1.91–2.22 versus 2.96–4.03), the relative longest finger length (3.50–4.04 versus 6.43–6.67), the relative distance between the ear and eye (6.74–7.53 versus 7.58–8.02), the relative frontal width (80.5–86.1 versus 57.6–66.1), the relative distance between the eye and naris (4.70–5.28 versus 5.48–5.60), the relative angled subocular width (2.01–2.48 versus 2.77–2.83), and the relative nasal width (1.52–1.78 versus 2.08–2.33). From C. microblepharis, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus chevrons), the adult SVL (54.0–62.3 versus 96.4), the ventral scale rows (111–114 versus 109), the relative eye length (3.61–3.74 versus 1.83), and the relative ear width (1.52–1.59 versus 0.446). From C. molesworthi, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the adult SVL (54.0–62.3 versus 78.1–103), the total strigae on ten scales (95–122 versus 138–159), the relative distance between angled subocular and mouth (0.594–0.648 versus 0.653–0.845), the relative ear width (1.52–1.59 versus 1.37–1.50), the relative mental width (1.51–1.78 versus 1.81–2.00), the relative postmental width (2.87–2.92 versus 2.97–3.08), the relative cloacal width (7.99–8.55 versus 8.73–9.35), the relative longest finger length (3.50–4.04 versus 4.28–5.19), the relative distance between the ear and eye (6.74–7.53 versus 7.97–8.83), the relative distance between the eye and naris (4.70–5.28 versus 5.32–5.50), and the relative width of canthal iii (1.77–1.93 versus 1.99–2.09). From C. occiduus, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus absent), the adult SVL (54.0–62.3 versus 269–367), the midbody scale rows (39–44 versus 46–56), the total lamellae on one hand (29–34 versus 50–66), the total strigae on ten scales (95–122 versus 374), the relative distance between angled subocular and mouth (0.594–0.648 versus 1.26–1.27), the relative eye length (3.61–3.74 versus 2.87–3.33), the relative forelimb length (18.6–21.3 versus 23.5–23.9), the relative ear width (1.52–1.59 versus 0.948–1.39), the relative head length (15.7–17.7 versus 20.4–20.6), the relative largest supraocular width (1.91–2.22 versus 2.27–3.02), the relative longest finger length (3.50–4.04 versus 4.77–5.46), and the relative distance between the ear and eye (6.74–7.53 versus 8.98–10.9). From C. oligolepis sp. nov., we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the head markings (absent versus present), the ventral scale rows (111–114 versus 98), and the midbody scale rows (39–44 versus 35). From C. striatus, we distinguish C. hesperius sp. nov. by the dorsal pattern (dots in chevrons versus absent/chevrons), the adult SVL (54.0–62.3 versus 145), the ventral scale rows (111–114 versus 101–109), the total lamellae on one hand (29–34 versus 59–66), and the total strigae on ten scales (95–122 versus 279). (Schools & Hedges 2024) |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | Named after Latin hesperius, a masculine nominative singular adjective meaning “western,” in reference to the distribution of this species in western Jamaica. |
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