Hemidactylus masirahensis CARRANZA & ARNOLD, 2012
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Hemidactylus masirahensis
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| Higher Taxa | Gekkonidae, Gekkota, Sauria, Squamata (lizards: geckos) |
| Subspecies | |
| Common Names | |
| Synonym | Hemidactylus masirahensis CARRANZA & ARNOLD 2012: 55 Hemidactylus homoeolepis — ARNOLD 1977: 103 (part.) Hemidactylus homoeolepis — ARNOLD 1986: 279 (part.) Hemidactylus homoeolepis — ARNOLD 1986: 419 (part.) Hemidactylus homoeolepis — SCHÄTTI & DESVOIGNES 1999: 50 (part.) Hemidactylus homoeolepis — VAN DER KOOIJ 2000: 111 (part.) Hemidactylus homoeolepis — SINDACO & JEREMČENKO 2008: 115 (part.) |
| Distribution | Oman (Masirah Island) Type locality: East of R.A.F. camp, North end of Masirah Island (Oman), |
| Reproduction | oviparous (manual and phylogenetic imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) |
| Types | Holotype: BMNH 1975.2080, male, collected by T.D. Rogers (MorphoBank M10094–M100115). Paratypes: BMNH1975.2081, female, same collecting data as Holotype; BMNH1975.2082, male from Wadi dhu Mayhi, Masirah Island (Oman), 700 m, collected by T.D. Rogers (MorphoBank M100116–M100137); BMNH1975.2084, female, same data as BMNH1975.2082 (MorphoBank M100158–M100175); BMNH1975.2083, female, same data as BMNH1975.2082 (MorphoBank M100176–M100196); IBES7710, female from Wadi Maahdi, Masirah Island (Oman), collected in October 2010 by S. Carranza and F. Amat (MorphoBank M100220–M100226); ONHM3710, female, same collecting data as IBES7710 (MorphoBank M100227–M100230). |
| Diagnosis | Diagnosis A small, slender, depressed Hemidactylus with a maximum recorded SVL of 42 mm. Usually with scattered weakly enlarged scales on sides of dorsum of body that become larger posteriorly especially on sacral region, tail base, and hind legs where they are raised and tuberculate; adhesive pads narrow; lamellae under the 1st toe of pes 6; lamellae under the 4th toe mean 10.0 (10–11); preanal pores 4 in the two males analyzed (Appendix I); expanded subcaudal scales usually extend almost to tail base. Dorsum with a pattern of irregular dark spots and streaks; tail with 8–9 dark bands that increase in intensity distally contrasting with smaller pale interstices, more distal 4–6 bands extend to ventral surface, each covering two or more whorls distally and being rather broader than interstices. Hemidactylus masirahensis differs from H. homoeolepis in its larger adult size (SVL mean 32.2 mm, max. 45 mm, compared with mean 31.8 mm, max. 39.7 mm), greater depression of the head and body, more usual presence of dorsal tubercles on the body, lower number of preanal pores in males (4 compared with mean 5.5, 3–6), higher number of lamellae under the 1st toe of pes (6 compared with mean 4.7, 4–5), and under the 4th toe of pes (mean 10.0, 10–11, compared with mean 8.4, 7–11), presence of enlarged tubercles and expanded subcaudal scales usually extend almost to tail base (expanded subcaudal scales beginning some way from tail base in H. homoeolepis), different coloring (dark bands of the tail more conspicuous and marked in H. masirahensis, especially on the underside of tail). Distinguished from H. paucituberculatus by its larger adult size (SVL mean 32.2 mm, max. 45 mm, compared with mean 32.2 mm, max. 38.4 mm), greater depression of head and body, more usual presence of dorsal tubercles on body, lower number of preanal pores in males (4 compared with 6), higher number of lamellae under the 1st toe of pes (6 compared with mean 4.9, 4–5), and under the 4th toe of pes (mean 10.0, 10–11, compared with mean 8.3, 7–9), different coloring (dark bands of the tail more conspicuous and marked in H. masirahensis, especially on the underside of tail). |
| Comment | |
| Etymology | The species epithet “masirahensis” is an adjective that refers to the place where the species is found, Masirah Island off the coast of Central Oman. |
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