ABSTRACT
We describe a new species of Stenocercus from the montane forest of the right margin of the Marañón river in the northern portion of the Central Andes in northern Peru (Amazonas and La Libertad departments), at elevations ranging from 2300 to 3035 m. Stenocercus omari sp. nov. differs from other Stenocercus species, with the exception of S. amydrorhytus, S. chrysopygus, S. cupreus, S. johaberfellneri, S. latebrosus, S. melanopygus, S. modestus, S. ornatissimus, S. orientalis, and S. stigmosus, by having granular scales on the posterior surfaces of thighs, a conspicuous antehumeral fold and by lacking a vertebral crest. However, Stenocercus omari sp. nov. is easily distinguished from the aforementioned species, except S. orientalis, by the presence of prominently keeled dorsal head scales. The new species differs from S. orientalis by lacking a prominent oblique neck fold and by having a distinct deep postfemoral mite pocket.
Subject(s)
Iguanas/classification , Animals , Female , Forests , Iguanas/anatomy & histology , Male , Peru , RiversABSTRACT
We describe a remarkable new species of monophyletic genus Hyloscirtus from northeastern Peru. The presence of an enlarged, curved, and protruding prepollical spine; hypertrophied forelimbs; large, thick supracloacal flap and supratympanic fold; large size; nuptial pad absent and iris dark red diagnose this species. We hypothesize that the new species is closely related to H. condor and H. tapichalaca of southern Ecuador due to the apparently synapomorphic occurrence in these species of an enlarged, curved prepollical spine, and small, conical vomerine odontophore processes with 3-6 prominent teeth each without contact between these. Additional research explicitly incorporating H. diabolus new species in a phylogenetic analysis is required to further test our hypothesis and provide a better understanding of the evolution of morphological attributes described herein. Finally we discuss some aspects concerning the taxonomy of the genus Hyloscirtus.
Subject(s)
Anura/classification , Animal Distribution , Animal Structures/anatomy & histology , Animal Structures/growth & development , Animals , Anura/anatomy & histology , Anura/genetics , Anura/growth & development , Body Size , Male , Organ Size , Peru , PhylogenyABSTRACT
We describe a new species of Stenocercus from an interandean valley of the upper Río Huallaga on the Amazonian slope of central Peru (Región Huánuco), at an elevation of 1700-1900 m. The new species differs from other Stenocercus, except S. boettgeri, S. haenschi, S. humeralis, and S. varius, by the combination of the following characters: presence of granular scales on the posterior surface of the thighs, enlarged vertebrals, three caudal whorls per autotomic segment, a medially complete antegular fold, non-spinose caudals, and by males lacking a black transverse band on the ventral surface of the neck. However, the new Stenocercus differs from these, with the exception of S. humeralis, by having more scales around the midbody (104-107, =105.66) than S. boettgeri (79-104, Mean= 88.61), S. haenschi (57-64, Mean=60.50), and S. varius (74-88, Mean=82.35); and from S. humeralis by having the scales in the frontonasal region nearly equal in size to the scales in the occipitoparietal region, while in S. humeralis the scales on the frontonasal region are twice or three times longer than the scales on the occipitoparietal region.
