Diploderma laeviventre (WANG, JIANG, SILER & CHE, 2016)
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Diploderma laeviventre
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| Higher Taxa | Agamidae (Draconinae), Sauria, Iguania, Squamata (lizards) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | English: Smooth-venter Mountain Dragon Chinese: Hua Fu Pan Xi, 滑腹龙蜥 |
| Synonym | Japalura laeviventris WANG, JIANG, SILER & CHE in WANG et al. 2016 Japalura flaviceps — POPE 1935: 467 Japalura flaviceps — ZHAO & JIANG 1977: 293-298 Japalura flaviceps — HU et al. 1987: 112 Japalura flaviceps — ZHAO et al. 1999: 111-115 Japalura flaviceps — LI et al. 2010: 115 Diploderma laeviventre — WANG et al. 2018 Diploderma laeviventris — SITTHIVONG et al. 2023 |
| Distribution | China (eastern Tibet = Xizang, Yunnan) Type locality: near the Nujiang Bridge in the upper Nujiang Valley at Baxoi (=Basu), Qamdo (=Changdu), eastern Tibet (=Xizang), PR China (30.10034° N, 97.22787° E, 2 739 m elevation. |
| Reproduction | |
| Types | Holotype: KIZ 014038, adult male, collected by Ke JIANG on 3 July 2013. |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis: Following Inger’s definition of the genus (Inger, 1960), the new species is assigned to the genus Japalura based on a number of diagnostic characters, including: (1) dorsal scales unequal in size; (2) enlarged crest scales present; (3) gular pouch present; (4) lateral fold of skin in axilla-groin region present; (5) supraciliary scales greatly imbricate; (6) head relatively long, flat; (7) tail long, slender; (8) tail cylindrical in shape; and (9) precloacal and femoral pores absent. Japalura laeviventris sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by the combination of the following suite of morpho- logical characteristics: (1) small adult body size (SVL 67-72 mm in males, 64-70 mm in females); (2) moderate TAL (TAL/SVL 168%-200%); (3) moderate HLL (HLL/SVL 64.3%-78.4%); (4) NSL 1; (5) T4S 22-26; (6) SOR 3; (7) strongly-protuberant, conical, post-tympanic scale absent; (8) strongly-protuberant, conical, post-rictal scale absent; (9) tympanum concealed; (10) nuchal crests relatively raised on weak skin folds; (11) dorsal crests weakly developed without distinct skin folds in males; (12) transverse gular fold present; (13) gular pouch distinct, present; (14) scales of ventral surface of body smooth or weakly keeled; (15) MD 57-59, (16) ground dorsal coloration off-white in males, brownish-gray in females; (17) dorsal, lateral, and ventral surface of head, dorsal forelimbs, and lateral surface of body speckled with black; (18) distinct radial streaks around eyes; (19) dorso- lateral stripes present, smooth-edged, pale-yellow in males; (20) dark-brown, “M”-shaped pigmentation patterns along dorsal midline in males; and (21) small, triangular, orange gular spots in adults of both sexes. |
| Comment | Abundance: only known from its original description (Meiri et al. 2017). |
| Etymology | We derive the new species name from the Latin word “laeviventris, ” meaning “smooth venter, ” in reference to one of the major diagnostic characteristics of the new species: smooth or weakly keeled ventral body scales. |
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