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Plica medemi MURPHY & JOWERS, 2013

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Higher TaxaTropiduridae, Iguania, Sauria, Squamata (lizards)
Subspecies 
Common NamesE: Medem’s Treerunner 
SynonymPlica medemi MURPHY & JOWERS 2013 
DistributionColombia (Meta)

Type locality: Colombia, Meta, Lower Guayabero, Angostura No. 2, Cerro de las Pinturas (~2°34'N; 72°51'W).  
Reproductionoviparous (manual imputation, fide Zimin et al. 2022) 
TypesHolotype: FMNH 165207 an adult male, 112 mm SVL, with a damaged tail. Collected by Fredrico Medem in 1957. 
DiagnosisDiagnosis: A Plica with dorsal scales in 145 rows at mid-body; scales on snout juxtaposed, smooth and slightly domed; dorsolateral and ventrolateral folds well developed and extend to groin; entire anterior margin of auditory meatus is lined with spiny scales (no distinct cluster of spines); 41 lamellae on fourth toe. It has a green dorsum with black spots, and an orange head and lacks the transverse bands present in other members of the genus. Plica plica has 126–140 dorsal scale rows at mid body, imbricate, keeled scales on the snout; and 31–36 lamellae on the fourth toe. Plica rayi sp. n. has 180–202 scale rows at mid-body; juxtaposed and flat scales on the snout; and the ventrolateral fold is barely visible. Plica kathleenae sp. n. has 158 scale rows around mid-body, and a cluster of spiny scales on the anterior margin of the auditory meatus. Plica medemi sp. n. differs from P. lumaria and P. pansticta in having more lamellae on the fourth finger and fourth toe (32 and 41 respectively), supracilliaries directed dorsally as opposed to laterally; an exceptional spiny texture to its scales, and a distinctly different pattern. This species is known from only a single specimen (MURPHY & JOWERS 2013). 
CommentDiet: a large percentage of the diet of this species (10-30%) consists of ants (Lucas et al. 2023). 
EtymologyThe lizard is named in honor of Colombian herpetologist Federico Medem (1912-1984) [obituary in Herpetologica 40: 468 [1984], erroneously spelled “Fredrico Medem” by MURPHY & JOWERS 2013. 
References
  • Cavalcanti, Lucas B Q; Gabriel C Costa, Guarino R Colli, Eric R Pianka, Laurie J Vitt, Daniel O Mesquita 2023. Myrmecophagy in lizards: evolutionary and ecological implications. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2023;, zlad175, - get paper here
  • Murphy JC, Jowers MJ 2013. Treerunners, cryptic lizards of the Plica plica group (Squamata, Sauria,Tropiduridae) of northern South America. ZooKeys 355: 49–77 - get paper here
  • Zimin, A., Zimin, S. V., Shine, R., Avila, L., Bauer, A., Böhm, M., Brown, R., Barki, G., de Oliveira Caetano, G. H., Castro Herrera, F., Chapple, D. G., Chirio, L., Colli, G. R., Doan, T. M., Glaw, F., Grismer, L. L., Itescu, Y., Kraus, F., LeBreton 2022. A global analysis of viviparity in squamates highlights its prevalence in cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 00, 1–16 - get paper here
 
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